20
OneRoof.co.nz
THE PROPERTY RICH LIST: ELITE SUBURBS
STREETS OF GOLD: HOW T Life in New Zealand’s most expensive suburbs is much the same as anywhere else – except the residents are more likely to pull up to the local dairy in a Lamborghini. DIANA CLEMENT reports.
A
uckland’s streets of gold offer some luxurious living with tennis courts, swimming pools and even helipads thrown in. The doyenne of them all is Arney Road. The 1.3km street that sweeps down the steep northern slopes of Remuera to Hobson Bay has the highest concentration of expensive homes in New Zealand, accounting for 21 of the 500 top house sales since 2000. It’s closely followed by neighbouring Victoria Avenue, which accounts for 19 of the biggest sales, and Remuera Road which lays claims to 16. Paritai Drive, in Orakei, widely viewed as New Zealand’s most prestigious address, has just 10 of the biggest sales - 11 if you count the record-breaking $38.5 million sale of the former Hotchin mansion on Huriaro Place, which borders the street. The Herne Bay street with the most expensive homes is the waterfront Marine Parade, which claimed 11 top sales, while on the North Shore the place to watch is Takapuna’s Clifton Road, which has seven. And while Herne Bay is New Zealand’s most expensive suburb, boasting a median property value of $3.3m, Remuera is the best place to land a luxury home. The suburb, which has a median property value of $2.28m, is home to 125 of the 500 top house sales, or 25%, while Herne Bay has just 50, with Takapuna and Waiheke Island next in the rankings, accounting for 27 each. The figures also reveal New Zealand’s most valuable streets. Houses on Wairangi Street, in Herne Bay, have the highest average CV, at $9.7m, although the street is home to just three properties and is only 130 metres long. Nipping at its heels is the nearby and slightly longer Cremorne Street, where properties have an average CV of $9.59m. Paritai Drive’s average CV is $4m while Arney Road’s is just over $5m. The total value of the 877 residential properties on Remuera Road is just shy of $2 billion, although the average CV is just $2.2m. Next is Victoria Avenue, where the total value of properties is $1.435bn, followed by clifftop Riddell Road, in Glendowie, Auckland where the total value of properties is $1.32bn.
Rod Duke’s former home at Arney Road, in Remuera, Auckland. He sold it last year for more than $14 million. Photo / Supplied
The historic house on Arney Road known as St Ann’s. Photo / Ted Baghurst
The most expensive home on Arney Road, by sale price, sold last year for $14.4m, but more than a few homes on that road have the potential to sell for $20m or more if they came to market. Two could even fetch $30m: one which last sold in 2011 for $11.25m, has a 2017 CV of $25m and offers 5112sqm of prime land, a six-bedroom home, tennis court and swimming pool, while another which last sold in 1996 for what was then a record $6.55m, has a CV of $24.5m and sits on a massive 12,581sqm corner section. Many famous names have graced Arney Road. Briscoes boss Rod Duke lived there before he quit Remuera for Herne Bay. His grand Victorian home had six bedrooms, a six-car garage, tennis court, swimming pool and golf practice area. Properties on that street are sometimes owned for generations. When the historic six-bedroom home known as St Ann’s went up for sale in 2019, it had only two previous owners. Built in 1914, the property sold in November last year for an undisclosed price. The original owner was Charles Isaac Nathan, from the
The grand Chateau de La Sur Me on Clifton Road, in Takapuna,Auckland. Photo / Supplied
merchant and brewing family that founded LD. Nathan & Co. Another famous resident was the brother of artist Charles Frederick Goldie. More modern famous owners have included former Dragons’ Den star Paul Webb, who was convicted of tax evasion in 2018. Arney Road residents don’t have to go far for some upmarket shopping. David Jones is a short walk away at Westfield Newmarket and there are numerous boutique stores at nearby Teed Street. And for those needing to restock, Glengarry’s wine shop is at the top of the hill on the corner of Basset and Remuera roads. With residents unable to travel abroad, the Remuera shop has been selling more top wines from Europe than other branches. The northern end of Arney Road is served by local dairy owners Ilyas and Jarina Patel, who have watched an entire generation of Arney Road children grow up. The suburb is much like any other, they say, and their customers buy pre!y much the same stuff anyone else does – although they are more likely to pull up
in a Lamborghini. Shore Road Supre!e sells the same lines as any other diary in the country, except for the occasional nod to higher class tastes like posh pies and American sweets. When the community wanted a café, the Patels converted their living quarters into what is now the Shore Road Café next door. The café, which is leased to operators by the Patels, is the scene of many a business deal, and when OneRoof visited, there was an intense discussion at the next table about whether Bouclé or Chesterfield chairs would be more suitable for the customer’s home. The block of shops also includes Marilyn’s Hairdressing, Nava Beauty Therapists, and John Stephens & Co Antiques Dealer, which has an impressive range of chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and high-end cars in the car park. Arney Road itself is quiet. It sports immaculate gardens and wall-to-wall personalised number-plates in the driveways. No-one is out in the middle of the day except tradespeople and dog walkers. One advantage Arney Road
has over other top streets is its proximity to top-notch schools. No need to bus or drive the children to exclusive schools if you live on Arney Road: St Kentigern Boys’ School, Baradene College and King’s School are all within walking distance and the road is within the prized double grammar zone. And if your offspring play sport, then you’ll find the Parnell Cricket Club at the bo!om of the road. Argyle Street, in Herne Bay, which boasts six of the top 500 sales, isn’t as showy as Arney Road. Apart from the Sultan of Brunei’s former property, Waimanu estate , the best homes are hidden away down long driveways, si!ing on the cliffs that overlook the harbour. The most interesting house on show is a castle designed by architect Brian Trubovich for himself. He grew up three doors from the property where his castle now sits. Trubovich told the New Zealand Herald in 2012 when he was selling the home that he designed it for the child in him. Every architect likes to build at least one house for themselves in their lifetime, he said.
