Rows of olive trees, sun-drenched stone terraces, and an extraordinary David Ponting-designed residence come together to create something truly rare on this Mediterranean-inspired lifestyle property in the heart of Mahurangi.
It feels as though it could have been airlifted from Italy, yet is grounded in the landscape of rural Auckland.
For Sally and Derek Holland, creators of the award-winning Duck Creek Road Extra Virgin Olive Oil, this has been a labour of love. Now, in their 70s, they are ready to pass on the property that they say has given them everything: “serenity, purpose, and endless inspiration”.
They knew it was special the moment they saw it 14 years ago.
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Formerly of Waiheke Island, where they cultivated olives and helped shape the gardens at Mudbrick Winery, they were drawn to the privacy and peaceful rhythm of 53 Duck Creek Road, perfectly located just 7km from Matakana, Warkworth and Snells Beach.
“A lovely local couple commissioned David Ponting to reimagine an Italian villa, complete with tower, cloister, and olive grove, and planted 600 trees. It was right up our alley,” says Sally.
“It’s a slice of magic we were lucky to find, and it’s 7km from everywhere.”
Bathed in sunshine on a northwest-facing site, the home is poetry in stone and glass, a masterclass in light, flow, and connection to nature. Expansive alfresco living spaces invite long summer lunches beneath the louvres, wood-fired pizzas by the pool, or tranquil evenings as the light turns golden across the grove.
Bathed in sunshine on a northwest-facing site, the home is poetry in stone and glass, a masterclass in light, flow, and connection to nature. Photo / Supplied
The main home unfolds across a single level, its wings flowing out to gardens and courtyards. Photo / Supplied
“Though it was designed for someone else, it feels as if it were made for us,” says Sally. “It’s the happiest house we’ve ever lived in, beautifully self-contained, effortless, and full of life.”
The couple have tended every inch of the property themselves, Derek in the grove, and Sally in the gardens, where she’s woven her signature style through plantings of ginkgo, liquid amber, topiaries and perennial beds.
When the liquid amber leaves fall in autumn, it marks the perfect moment for olive harvest, one of the many rhythms that make this property so special.
Sally has also shaped the grounds into a lush, edible sanctuary: a glasshouse bursting with tomatoes (up to 50kg a season), a potager garden just outside the kitchen, orchard fruits of persimmon and pear, and a whimsical moon gate “marking the threshold between nourishment and nature”.
“The magic of this place is that you can sit anywhere, with coffee or a glass of wine, and feel utterly content,” she says.
Expansive alfresco living spaces invite long summer lunches beneath the louvres. Photo / Supplied
The tower adds a touch of romance: three guest bedrooms and a rooftop terrace. Photo / Supplied
The main home unfolds across a single level, its wings flowing out to gardens and courtyards. One side holds the main suite, dressing room, and media room; the other anchors relaxed open-plan living around a wood fire and chef’s kitchen.
Outside, the 12m heated pool is framed by alfresco dining spaces, a pizza oven, built-in barbecue, and an ambience that whispers “Mediterranean summer, every day”.
The tower adds a touch of romance: three guest bedrooms (one with an ensuite and French doors to the lawn), and a rooftop terrace that invites stargazing on Matariki nights or lazy summer sleepouts under the constellations.
A three-car garage includes a self-contained suite, currently home to the Hollands’ award-winning olive oil operation, yet easily adaptable for guests, staff, or creative studio space.
Sally and Derek Holland, creators of the award-winning Duck Creek Road Extra Virgin Olive Oil, have tended every inch of the property themselves. Photo / Supplied
“Though it was designed for someone else, it feels as if it were made for us,” says co-homeowner Sally. Photo / Supplied
The couple are proud of their award-winning olive oil, though there’s no expectation the next owners will continue the business. The opportunity, however, is there.
“That will be a bonus,” says Sally. “We’re not selling the business and putting a price on it – but someone could walk straight into it if they wanted to carry it on.”
Designed by David Ponting, this is architecture that feels instinctively right, enduring, elegant, and deeply connected to its surroundings, says Jackie Parker of New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty.
“It’s the kind of property where life simply works, beautifully, privately, effortlessly.”
- 53 Duck Creek Road in Warkworth, Rodney, is for sale, expressions of interest close May 28
