Grand Designs NZ host Tom Webster explored Mary and Dean Gordon\u2019s estate on Waiheke Island \u2013 one of the island\u2019s most expensive \u2013 for his latest TV vehicle on Sunday.<\/p>\n
He was delighted by the couple\u2019s attempts to bring the Mediterranean down under, with his brain lighting up as he toured the garden, main bedroom and wine cellar.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis may not be progressive architecture, but there is a popularity to a traditionally styled European home outside the Mediterranean. Perhaps it\u2019s a desire to tap into agelessness, old-world charm \u2013 a proven comfort,\u201d Webster said.<\/p>\n
The Gordons told Webster that they had designed the villa themselves. \u201cWe managed to navigate our way through, and we\u2019re still together, and still really happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The three-bedroom main residence at 211 Te Whau Drive has a Mediterranean vibe with panoramic views. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
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The vendors were heavily influenced by their love of Europe and Turkey. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
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The primary suite has French doors opening out to the formal garden and fountain. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
The couple have been trying to sell 211 Te Whau Drive<\/a> for over a year, relisting it with Bayleys agents Mark Spitz and Jacob Lillyman in March this year.<\/p>\n It is for sale by negotiation, with the listing on OneRoof noting that the vendors were motivated to sell.<\/p>\n When the property first hit the market in 2025, the Gordons told OneRoof that they worked tirelessly to bring their vision to life.<\/p>\n The couple bought the waterfront site in 2019 for $2.65m and then set about creating their dream home.<\/p>\n Discover more:<\/p>\n – Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron sells multi-million-dollar Kawau property to iwi<\/a><\/p>\n – Buy your own mountain: 107ha Matakana peak with jaw-dropping views hits the market<\/a><\/p>\n – Auckland\u2019s house price rail map: What homes cost around every train station<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe came up and viewed it, and it ticked all the boxes \u2013 it\u2019s got a beautiful, secluded beach, it\u2019s got a vineyard and it\u2019s got to-die-for views,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n The property was just a bare piece of land when they arrived, and they worked tirelessly over the years to create their north-facing Mediterranean-style residence.<\/p>\n \u201cWe meticulously planned the concept a year beforehand. We went to an architect who does European homes to make sure we had the proportions right. She made a few tweaks here and there, then it was good to go.\u201d<\/p>\n Crafted from solid in-situ poured concrete, the three-bedroom main home boasts traditional plastered white sand and marble dust walls, double-glazed steel joinery, custom-milled wood beams and travertine and reclaimed oak floors.<\/p>\n The bathroom is simply stunning. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n The house sits on more than 3ha and boasts landscaped grounds. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n The rustic aesthetic extends to the cellar and the staircase leading to it. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to build a home that is really easy to live in. I didn\u2019t want it to be like a show home. We\u2019ve got dogs and have visitors come and stay \u2013 it had to feel like a home, that\u2019s really important.\u201d<\/p>\n 211 Te Whau Drive is not the only Waiheke home Webster has been through that has ended up on the market. Earlier this year, a stunning beach home that opened last year\u2019s Grand Designs New Zealand was listed for sale<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dale and Maria Gray\u2019s four-bedroom architectural wonder on Tiri View Road, in Palm Beach, won praise from Webster when he saw the finished results.<\/p>\n The couple had tried to sell the home in an unfinished state in February 2024 with an asking price of $8.75m but didn\u2019t get a buyer at that level.<\/p>\n New Zealand Sotheby\u2019s International Realty listing agents Chris Jones and Francine Sweet took on the listing at the end of April and billed the home as a \u201cfirst-class ticket\u201d.<\/p>\n A home on Tiri View Road, in Palm Beach, was listed for sale earlier this year after appearing on Grand Designs New Zealand. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n Tiri View Road owners Dale and Maria Gray with Grand Designs New Zealand host Tom Webster. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n The property was withdrawn from the market in June, a week after the tender closed. It\u2019s unclear whether the Grays secured a buyer, as they did not respond to OneRoof\u2019s questions about the listing\u2019s change in status.<\/p>\n High-end buyers do have a clutch of homes to choose from on Waiheke, some of which have been on the market for over a year.<\/p>\n At the southeastern end of the island is a seven-bedroom house on Orapiu Road, Omaru Bay<\/a>, which is aiming to match the $17.5m the vendors paid in December 2022.<\/p>\n The waterfront property – which was immaculately renovated by architects Sumich Chaplin and sits on 5ha – is off-limits to foreign buyers with the “golden” investor visa, unless they get approval from the Overseas Investment Office or possess New Zealand residency.<\/p>\n On \u014cakura Bay, on the south of the island, Caleb Paterson of Harcourts Cooper & Co is selling a multi-million-dollar lodge right on the water at 40 Rothschild Terrace<\/a>. The villa, which sits on a nearly 5ha estate and has access to two private islands, has an RV of $6.4m, but when it went on the market at the end of last year, Paterson said the property would be one of the island’s premium sales. <\/p>\n Spitz is also selling a 50ha vineyard at 88A Onetangi Road, Onetangi<\/a>, which he describes as “likely the last remaining large-scale landholding”.<\/p>\n With an asking price of just under $14m, the coastal property has breathtaking 360-degree views and some of the island’s classiest vineyards as neighbours: Stonyridge, Te Motu and Tantalus Estate.<\/p>\n In town, Kellands agents Martin Dobson and Charles Collins have a luxurious three-bedroom place on <\/p>\n Onetangi’s water’s edge at 159 The Strand<\/a> with an RV of $10.4m, while up at 82 Delamore Driv<\/a>e, Andrew and Graham Wall from Wall Real Estate have a spectacular five-bedroom Fearon Hay masterpiece on a nearly 6ha bush estate.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d8d963f8da8351755ba0a3824902ca79.jpg\")
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