![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0e7cdb6ad7639086f569b93eeea00213.jpg\")
<\/p>\n– A Christchurch couple bought a Governors Bay home for $1.35m after a three-and-a-half-year search.<\/p>\n
– They paid $200,000 above the reserve, beating two rival bidders at auction.<\/p>\n
– The property\u2019s sweeping sea views and Cashmere High zoning helped attract strong interest.<\/p>\n
A Christchurch couple paid $200,000 over the reserve for a house with a sea view from almost every room, ending a three-and-a-half-year search for their dream home.<\/p>\n
The empty-nesters made a pre-auction offer of $1.15 million for the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home on The Terrace, in Governors Bay, but it took $1.35m to secure the property.<\/p>\n
They faced fierce competition from two other bidders at last week\u2019s Harcourts Grenadier auction.<\/p>\n
Harcourts listing agent Emma Baird had thought the couple would miss out, telling OneRoof that they sat on the sidelines until the last moment.<\/p>\n
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The home boasts sea views from almost every room. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Baird said the new owners had been looking for a home in Governors Bay for over three years, as had the underbidder. \u201cI had a couple of pretty sad people after the auction,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The vendor was also emotional after the auction, although her tears were tears of joy after pocketing an extra $200,000 from the sale.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe just couldn\u2019t believe it \u2013 unbelievable. That\u2019s life-changing for people \u2013 it\u2019s a huge amount of money they just weren\u2019t expecting to get.\u201d<\/p>\n
Discover more:<\/p>\n
– Ex-All Black Julian Savea sells luxury estate, buys new one over the road<\/a><\/p>\n – ‘No power bill for two years’: The designer homes slashing Kiwis\u2019 energy costs<\/a><\/p>\n – Coromandel\u2019s legendary retreat up for grabs – \u2018People just fall in love with it\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Baird said Governors Bay was a tough market to pick and when she listed the property, she knew it could go one of two ways: sell \u201cvery quickly\u201d or take \u201cforever\u201d.<\/p>\n However, she said the impressive view out to Lyttelton and Port Hills ended up being a major hook.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was just picturesque, I\u2019ve never sold anything so beautiful,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery room except the laundry and one bathroom had a view … that was surprising for people because that\u2019s not normal.\u201d<\/p>\n Waitahuna is one of Banks Peninsula\u2019s oldest homes. It was built in 1851 and is on the market for the first time in more than 50 years. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n At the time of writing, there were four houses in the suburb for sale on OneRoof, including two on big sections: a three-bedroom, one-bathroom heritage home, known as Waitahuna, at 1 Main Road<\/a>, and a four-bedroom, one-bathroom at 88 Main Road<\/a>. <\/p>\n Baird said while Governors Bay was classed as Banks Peninsula, it was in the popular Cashmere High school zone and only about a 20-minute drive from Christchurch.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/88d06473c3759b2f2414fe7a55901223.jpg\")
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