All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just
$449
$49
per year ongoing
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Business

Auckland house sale bags Rotorua 'mansion'

By Ben Hill
NZ Herald·
6 Mar, 2017 07:28 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Watch NZH Focus: Rotorua dreaming
Tristram Clayton heads down to Rotorua to see what the fuss is about. ...
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
0:00
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time -0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • subtitles settings, opens subtitles settings dialog
    • subtitles off, selected

      This is a modal window.

      Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

      Text
      Text Background
      Caption Area Background
      Font Size
      Text Edge Style
      Font Family

      End of dialog window.

      This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.

      Autoplay in
      4
      Disable Autoplay
      Cancel Video
      Imagine a city where average house prices are less than $400,000, jobs are plentiful and traffic jams non-existent. For most Aucklanders it’s an impossible dream, but one central North Island city says it’s a reality and open to anyone who wants it.
      NOW PLAYING • Watch NZH Focus: Rotorua dreaming
      Tristram Clayton heads down to Rotorua to see what the fuss is about. ...

      David Curry-Wood is loving life in Rotorua after selling his Auckland home.

      The former teacher, who now works as a bus driver, sold his house in Beach Haven for $905,000 in March last year and moved into a modern "mansion" in Rotorua, which cost his family $694,000.

      Curry-Wood shares the home with his wife Louise and four children, including a 3-month-old, and said there were many benefits to ditching the big city for a place in the regions.

      "We love it down here. There's less traffic, that's the obvious one, and there's 70,000 [people] in Rotorua and they get to know you. All the stores, it's not too long before they get to know you by first name."

      After selling their modest three-bedroom place in Auckland, Curry-Wood's family now lives in a two-storey, five-bedroom home in Lynmore.

      All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
      Subscribe now

      All Access Weekly

      From $2 per week
      Pay just
      $15.75
      $2
      per week ongoing
      Subscribe now
      BEST VALUE

      All Access Annual

      Pay just
      $449
      $49
      per year ongoing
      Subscribe now
      Learn more
      30
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      "It's a different lifestyle, we're just fortunate, we bought in a lovely area, it's very quiet at night time, friendly neighbours.

      "You don't have the hassle you do in Auckland in getting to the airport."

      Curry-Wood said it wasn't all roses in the Bay of Plenty, however.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      David Curry-Wood and Louise Mccall. Photo / Stephen Parker
      David Curry-Wood and Louise Mccall. Photo / Stephen Parker

      "One thing though there is a drop in wages in Rotorua compared to Auckland, and rates are a little higher than Auckland as there are fewer people.

      "[But] we're happier . . . the more friendly atmosphere, the ease of getting to the supermarket, the ease of getting around town, the natural beauty of the area. It's not quite as cold as people think, we've been happy."

      He "marvels every day" at being able to land his dream home for a fraction of what it would've cost him in Auckland.

      "We've got this mansion in Rotorua and we got it for $694,000 fully furnished.

      Discover more

      Business

      Fine for property sub-let on Airbnb

      05 Mar 11:07 PM
      Business

      BNZ sorry for 'meth house' comments

      05 Mar 11:51 PM
      New Zealand

      Home and hostel package for $655k

      06 Mar 12:14 AM
      Business

      How to make the most out of Airbnb

      06 Mar 03:30 AM

      "Every day we drive down the street and we think, 'How the hell did we afford this house.' In Auckland it would've been $1.5 million.

      "Here in Rotorua with a house that's virtually brand new, all double glazing insulation all that sort of thing, everyone cares for the place. We drive down the road and think, 'Christ we've come from Beach Haven to here'."

      Save
        Share this article

      Latest from Business

      Premium
      Airlines

      Kiwi victims of Qantas cyber attack can lodge complaint in NZ, expert says

      Premium
      Property

      How a teen warehouse job led to a $73m supermarket opening

      Premium
      Opinion

      Cecilia Robinson: Pharmac must adopt smarter, more flexible funding approaches


      Sponsored

      Sponsored: More cash, less stress - a lending strategy for investors

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Recommended for you

      Samoa closes schools as fight against dengue ramps up after second child dies
      Talanoa

      Samoa closes schools as fight against dengue ramps up after second child dies

      Four jockeys taken to hospital after nasty fall at Te Rapa race meet
      Racing

      Four jockeys taken to hospital after nasty fall at Te Rapa race meet

      Spicy kimchi noodles: A comforting twist for chilly days
      Lifestyle

      Spicy kimchi noodles: A comforting twist for chilly days

      Bottom-of-the-table Titans hold slim halftime lead over Warriors
      Warriors

      Bottom-of-the-table Titans hold slim halftime lead over Warriors

      Why Auckland's new hysteroscopy service is a game changer for women
      New Zealand

      Why Auckland's new hysteroscopy service is a game changer for women

      Warriors Women dealt third loss of season after strong Titans showing
      Warriors

      Warriors Women dealt third loss of season after strong Titans showing



      Latest from Business

      Premium
      Premium
      Kiwi victims of Qantas cyber attack can lodge complaint in NZ, expert says
      Airlines

      Kiwi victims of Qantas cyber attack can lodge complaint in NZ, expert says

      An NZ lawyer says affected people in this country can still take action against Qantas.

      26 Jul 12:26 AM
      Premium
      Premium
      How a teen warehouse job led to a $73m supermarket opening
      Property

      How a teen warehouse job led to a $73m supermarket opening

      26 Jul 12:01 AM
      Premium
      Premium
      Cecilia Robinson: Pharmac must adopt smarter, more flexible funding approaches
      Opinion

      Cecilia Robinson: Pharmac must adopt smarter, more flexible funding approaches

      25 Jul 11:00 PM


      Sponsored: More cash, less stress - a lending strategy for investors
      Sponsored

      Sponsored: More cash, less stress - a lending strategy for investors

      22 Jul 07:56 AM

      NZ Herald
      • About NZ Herald
      • Meet the journalists
      • Newsletters
      • Classifieds
      • Help & support
      • Contact us
      • House rules
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of use
      • Competition terms & conditions
      • Our use of AI
      Subscriber Services
      • NZ Herald e-editions
      • Daily puzzles & quizzes
      • Manage your digital subscription
      • Manage your print subscription
      • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
      • Subscribe to Herald Premium
      • Gift a subscription
      • Subscriber FAQs
      • Subscription terms & conditions
      • Promotions and subscriber benefits
      NZME Network
      • The New Zealand Herald
      • The Northland Age
      • The Northern Advocate
      • Waikato Herald
      • Bay of Plenty Times
      • Rotorua Daily Post
      • Hawke's Bay Today
      • Whanganui Chronicle
      • Viva
      • NZ Listener
      • Newstalk ZB
      • BusinessDesk
      • OneRoof
      • Driven Car Guide
      • iHeart Radio
      • Restaurant Hub
      NZME
      • About NZME
      • NZME careers
      • Advertise with NZME
      • Digital self-service advertising
      • Book your classified ad
      • Photo sales
      • NZME Events
      • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
      All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
      Subscribe now

      All Access Weekly

      From $2 per week
      Pay just
      $15.75
      $2
      per week ongoing
      Subscribe now
      BEST VALUE

      All Access Annual

      Pay just
      $449
      $49
      per year ongoing
      Subscribe now
      Learn more
      30
      TOP
      search by queryly Advanced Search