{"id":597459,"date":"2026-09-11T20:50:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T20:50:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/597459\/"},"modified":"2026-09-11T20:50:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T20:50:20","slug":"74ha-matakana-estate-with-two-cabins-an-adventure-playground-but-no-home-sells-for-over-8m-all-things-property-under-oneroof","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/597459\/","title":{"rendered":"74ha Matakana estate with two cabins, an adventure playground but no home sells for over $8m, All things property, under OneRoof"},"content":{"rendered":"

– An unfinished Matakana estate sold for $8.45m, nearly $1.5m above its RV.<\/p>\n

– The estate has two cabins, a pool, jetty and tents, but no planned main house.<\/p>\n

– High-end buyers remain interested in Matakana and T\u0101wharanui, despite slower sales in the conditional market.<\/p>\n

Would you pay over $8 million for two cabins an hour\u2019s drive out of Auckland? How about two architecturally-designed cabins next to a large in-ground swimming pool and private jetty, all within a 74ha waterfront estate?<\/p>\n

Barfoot & Thompson James Doole has just sold an out-of-the-box legacy property on Bishop Lane, in Matakana, for $8.45m \u2013 almost $1.5m above the RV.<\/p>\n

It appears to have everything one would expect from a luxury estate, including an adventure playground, outdoor fireplace and bath.<\/p>\n

But on closer inspection, it\u2019s missing one pivotal thing \u2013 the large designer home.<\/p>\n

Doole declined to comment on the July sale, but his listing, which hit the market in May, described the property as a \u201conce-in-a-lifetime opportunity to secure one of the true jewels of the T\u0101wharanui Peninsula\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The two architecturally-designed cabins were constructed with cedar, steel and glass. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

An in-ground pool was one of the property\u2019s many impressive features. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

Renowned New Zealand architect Jeff Fearon, of Fearon Hay, was tasked with designing two luxury cabins constructed from cedar, glass, steel and natural materials. <\/p>\n

One cabin contains the living, dining and kitchen, and the other accommodates two bedrooms and a bathroom.<\/p>\n

Fearon also came up with plans for a substantial family home to sit on the primary building platform on the sprawling 74ha site.<\/p>\n

But the wealthy owners listed the property for sale earlier this year before completing the grand plan.<\/p>\n

Discover more:<\/p>\n

– 48 buyers through the door: Striking house fetches over $5m, blasts past ‘irrelevant RV’<\/a><\/p>\n

– ‘Sold by dinner time’: Buyers snap up classic home in less than 10 hours<\/a><\/p>\n

– Four weeks into real estate, a $30m Lotto winner walked through his door…<\/a><\/p>\n

Doole\u2019s listing said: \u201cOriginally designed as a minor dwelling to accompany a future main residence, the pavilions already provide an extraordinary retreat to enjoy immediately while envisioning the estate\u2019s next chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n

The list of features, on what was pitched as being one of the most significant coastal offerings to come to the market in recent years, was extensive: two luxury safari tents tucked away in an elevated spot surrounded by native bush; an adventure playground with a flying fox; walking tracks; and a boat ramp, boat shed and private jetty.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe wider estate itself is nothing short of magical,\u201d Doole said in the listing.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Two safari tents surrounded by native bush at the Bishop Lane estate accommodates additional guests. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The adventure playground, bush walks and private jetty provides plenty of entertainment. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The expansive coastal property had its own jetty and boat ramp. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

\u201cThe dramatic headland position is of particular significance, commanding rare 360-degree panoramic views across the surrounding coastline, native bush and open sea, a vantage point seldom able to be replicated or secured. This is more than a home; it is a legacy estate, a private sanctuary where architecture, landscape and lifestyle exist in complete harmony.\u201d<\/p>\n

The value of the property is likely to rise significantly if the purchasers proceed with plans to build a luxury home at the estate.<\/p>\n

Three years ago, Doole sold another coastal estate on Bishop Lane for $13.25m<\/a>. At its centre was a four-bedroom retreat designed by Sumich-Chaplin architects. <\/p>\n

Doole has closed several deals in the Matakana\/T\u0101wharanui area in recent months. He sold a 39.5ha coastal landholding on Whitmore Road at the end of August. The exact sale price has not been disclosed, but it was initially listed last year with an asking price of $5.495m.<\/p>\n

Doole said there was still plenty of interest in the region\u2019s high-end homes despite some taking a little bit of time to sell. \u201cIt\u2019s a conditional marketplace, but there are definitely buyers out there looking,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Doole sold this estate on Bishop Lane in 2023 for over $13m. The property featured a home designed by Sumich-Chaplin architects. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

People looking at the Matakana or T\u0101wharanui market were usually Aucklanders or expats looking to move there permanently. Some did it immediately, and for others it was part of their longer-term plan.<\/p>\n

Doole said one of the main differences between Matakana and Omaha was that Matakana and T\u0101wharanui drew people looking for permanent homes on large estates, while Omaha attracted those looking for the family bach or luxury holiday home.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe find they are bigger country homes, so they usually buy them as a second home, or they are moving there permanently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Properties worth $5m-plus were what he classed as high-end for the area. \u201cIn Omaha you can have anywhere between $5m and $12m and they\u2019ll be on 1000sqm whereas in the country your traditional lifestyle property is probably 1ha plus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doole said he had about five big listings in Matakana and Point Wells set to hit the market in the next month as part of the traditional spring rush.<\/p>\n

– Click here to find more properties for sale in Matakana<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"– An unfinished Matakana estate sold for $8.45m, nearly $1.5m above its RV. – The estate has two…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":597460,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[1258,111,139,69,213],"class_list":["post-597459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-latest-news","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=597459"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597459\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/597460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=597459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=597459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=597459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}