- One of the first baches on Mangawhai’s “Golden Mile” is for sale after 65 years.
- Peter Brien’s family bought the land in 1959 for £530 and built a basic cottage.
- The upgraded bach, now 190sqm, has attracted significant interest, with price feedback over $2m.
One of the first baches built on Mangawhai’s “Golden Mile” is on the market for sale for the first time in over 65 years.
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Vendor Peter Brien told OneRoof that his parents, Herbie and Peggy, bought 119 Wintle Street in 1959 for £530.
Back then, it was empty land. Their Auckland neighbours had raved about a new subdivision north of Wellsford, and so they loaded up their car and drove north to take a look.
“It was all the bendy old roads to Kaiwaka, then it was metal roads. We kids hated the drive. There were holes in the floor of the car, and all the dust came in,” Brien told OneRoof.
The Brien family bought land in a new subdivision that had been carved off the Wintle Estate. Photo / Supplied
The original bach that the Brien family moved onto their plot. Photo / Supplied
“Dad brought the family up one day to visit the neighbours, and there was a section next door for sale. They paid £530 for the land, and another £1200 for a Keith Hay house, which they had brought up from Warkworth.”
The bach was a basic 74sqm cottage with three tiny bedrooms and a kitchen and dining area. There was no indoor bathroom, though. “There was a long drop toilet, and tank water. We had half a wine barrel that us kids would all jump into for a bath,” Brien said.
The beach town was also short on amenities. “Everything came in the car. There was a little shop on the corner that sold the basics, but not milk. So, we had to walk a mile or so up to the dairy farm and line up to fill our billycan.”
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Eventually, the roads were paved, and a causeway to the village was opened in the mid-1970s. The arrival of a surf club was another big deal.
“We were surfers, and the clubbies and the surfers never got on in those days. We would always surf there, and then all of a sudden, the club would tell you to get out of the way. There was a little bit of friction,” Brien said.
Brien and his wife, Shirley, took over the bach in 2000, just as Mangawhai was enjoying another growth spurt. “Up until then, I’d say, ‘I’m going up to Mangawhai’, and people would say, ‘Where’s that?’.”
The original bach has been upgraded but still has clear views of the water. Photo / Supplied
The property is on one of the most sought-after strips in Mangawhai. Photo / Supplied
The bach has changed a lot since Brien’s childhood, but it still has 180-degree views of the coast, estuary, and ocean. “Most of the old baches have been bought by rich dudes, and they’ve all pulled them down and built some very nice houses,” he said.
Brien, who is a builder, has upgraded the original holiday home, replacing the tiny bedrooms with decent-sized rooms, extending the living spaces, and adding an indoor-outdoor conservatory.
Downstairs, a second bathroom, living room and bedrooms cope with the family members who descend for the summer. The original 74sqm house is now a generous 190sqm with two bathrooms, an office, a fully covered outdoor barbecue area and parking for five cars and a boat.
Brien said they were selling up to move closer to their family.
Bayleys listing agent Craig Dalton told OneRoof the bach was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“These properties are right on the coastline – they’re 20 metres above sea level and they get really great views. There are only about four or five old baches left on that strip, and they come to market really infrequently,” he said.
“So that’s why this is such a hot property.”
Dalton said the bach had attracted a lot of interest from families, noting that he had already shown it to over 20 groups. Price feedback, he said, had been over $2m.
“I think Mangawhai is the next Orewa. There is a lot of development; you are going to see all the big supermarkets, big box stores, and four gas stations. So, it is becoming a town, not just a beach town like Omaha.”
- 119 Wintle Street, in Mangawhai, Northland, is for sale, tender closing October 23
