Retro home in Westmere comes with its very own boatshed

If you want to live in central Auckland and love the idea of having waves at your doorstep, you’d be hard-pressed to get much closer than this property in Westmere that even has its very own boatshed.

Now surrounded by the sophisticated mega-residences of billionaires and All Blacks, this quaint multi-storey, 1940s build is set on a section that runs down to the sea.

It’s a mariners’ paradise that allows direct water access into Cox’s Bay and was once the home of a trailblazing woman and beloved grandmother who was a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron and the first skipper of Auckland city’s first female sailing crew.

“She was a great sailor, and she had a boat there in Cox’s Bay, and she could just walk down the steps and climb on the boat, the yacht, and we would all go out sailing with her,” says the vendor, who asked not to be named.

“We have so many nice memories. All the Christmases, birthdays and family gatherings, basically happened there at her house while she was alive.”

“One day she took part in one of the races, one of the regattas, and her two sons, sailors, both of them were with her, but she kind of took command and won the race. So she was very, very much into her boating.”

Ever since the departure of the family matriarch, the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home has been a rental property. Now with the current owners getting older, they’d like to see the place taken over by other people who also love the ocean.

“Someone who would like to have a yacht in the bay maybe, or someone who just enjoys being in a corner that feels like you are completely out of the city. You don’t even perceive it from there. It’s very peaceful, it’s beautiful.”

The property offers an opportunity quite unlike any other in Auckland’s central suburbs.

“The property is so unique and the opportunity is rare. With a deadline sale, any buyers will be able to offer what they want conditional or unconditional and the owners are flexible with terms and conditions and settlement date,” says Lawrence von Sturmer, listing agent with Ray White Point Chevalier.

“All buyers have different budgets, have different future plans and will all have a different opinion of the property’s value, the offers are expected to vary.

“The planning report is super helpful for buyers, it saves any confusion around what you can and can’t do on a property.

“It’s been a difficult decision for the family to sell.”

With 490m² of freehold coastal land and 234m² of floor area, there’s enough here to have options to play with. However, with the adjoining 9 Kotare Avenue also potentially for sale, with 641m² of freehold land and 221m² of floor area, you could expand your horizons to a total of 1131m² of land and a spacious 455m² of floor area. Could this be the site of the area’s next designer build?

Across the street is a double-section property owned by former All Black Ali Williams and billionaire ZURU Toys co-owner Anna Mowbray, which they purchased for $24m from Shrek director Andrew Adamson.

Other big-name purchasers in the street have previously included tech start-up entrepreneur Sharon Hunter and former Tauranga mayor Tenby Powell, whose home made headlines when it was rented by Hollywood action star Jason Statham and supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, while Statham was filming The Meg in Auckland.

But if it’s just the simple seaside life you prefer, you could also just move in and enjoy the tranquil, staycation vibes yourself.

The boatshed itself also has a studio-style bedroom off it, with views of only the tide spreading away, and you can swim off the boatshed itself when the water is clear.

“It really has the feel like you’re going into a bach at the beach,” says the vendor.

“When my children were teenagers, I used to go and take a break from my home and feel like I was taking a holiday.”

“Down by the boatshed, it’s really lovely. In fact, my son is staying there right now. You’ve just got this water level environment, and all you see from there is just the water and the other coast, far across the bay.”