The 10 most expensive New Zealand homes sold in 2024

The housing market might have been mostly flat in 2024, but that didn’t stop the nation’s biggest spenders splashing out on at least two $20 million-plus homes.

That includes a stately Remuera mansion boasting one of New Zealand’s most beautiful tennis courts, an award-winning villa renovation and grand estates in Wānaka and Waiheke Island.

Take a moment to dream and tour some of the fanciest homes to change hands this year.

$21.8m - Paritai Dr, Ōrākei

This Italian-style mansion on Paritai Drive fetched 2024's biggest sale price at $21.84m.

One of Auckland’s “most extraordinary views” also comes with an extraordinary price tag of almost $22 million.

This Italian-style mansion was the most expensive home sold in New Zealand in 2024, according to property website dataOneRoof.

The mansion boasts 813 square metres of mahogany-and-marble interiors, and sits atop the cliffs on Ōrākei’s Paritai Drive.

That vantage offers panoramic vistas over “many of Auckland’s key landmarks, including the Sky Tower, ports, Devonport, [and] Rangitoto”, according to its selling agents New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty.

It’s also a home with room for eight Ferraris in the garage and comes with its own pool and manicured garden.

Strong interest from local and Singaporean buyers helped the home sell for double the $10.5m paid for it when it last sold in 2009.

$20m - Victoria Ave, Remuera

This stately Remuera home sold for $20 million.

One of New Zealand’s most stately homes scored the second highest sales price of the year at $20m.

Previously owned by yachtsman Grant Dalton of America’s Cup fame, the home was built in the 1900s and even served as a headquarters of US Naval High Command in World War II.

Dalton and his wife sold the mansion in 2018 for $16.5m after paying just $4.8m for it in 2004.

Renovated since that sale, the new owners can cook in a “chef’s kitchen”, work out in the basement gym and sauna, or watch tennis matches from a grand verandah that wouldn’t look out of place at Wimbledon.

$12.8m - Ōrākei Rd, Remuera

This Ōrākei Rd home in Remuera comes with a tennis court and salt water swimming pool.

Can a Remuera mansion really be considered grand if it doesn’t have its own tennis court?

Fortunately, for the new buyers of this Ōrākei Rd home, it comes with a floodlit tennis court surrounded by 1791sq m of gardens and a swimming pool.

Inside, there are four bedrooms, four lounges and two offices that blend modern living with wooden decors and ornate glass windows.

It’s a home where “monumental glory blends with modern, elegant chic” – well, that’s according to the words of its Barfoot & Thompson selling agents.

$12.6m - Salisbury St, Herne Bay

This Herne Bay home won an award for its modern renovation.

This modern and stylish Salisbury St home in Herne Bay changed hands for 2024’s fourth highest sale price.

Its former owners transformed the old villa into a modern and beautiful home with the centrepiece being an open kitchen and lounge area that joins on to the garden where a lap pool sits.

The design won a New Zealand Institute of Architects award for extensive alterations after the owners wanted to modernise it while keeping its traditional villa feel.

$12m - Motukaha Rd, Waiheke Island

The buyers of this Waiheke Island home also picked up a boutique vineyard.

Former TV newsreader John Hawkesby sold his Waiheke Island home, known as The Crossing, for 2024’s fifth highest price.

The near-2ha estate was built from the ground up by the family and comes with a boutique vineyard, olive grove and swimming pool.

Its yellow stones, shady verandahs and outdoor fireplace marry “French provincial charm with the rugged allure of the Australian outback”, according to comments made by its selling agent to property website OneRoof.

$11.9m - Victoria Ave, Remuera

This Remuera home has a unique turret, offering its owners a panoramic view.

This Victoria Ave home in Remuera might not boast a tennis court, but it does have a saltwater swimming pool and a unique turret.

That gives its new owners the chance to go aloft to survey their extensive, 1599sq m garden.

Ascending to this turret gives “crowning” panoramic views, according to its Ray White selling agent.

The villa also has modern interiors, including a beautiful kitchen and dining area that flows into an outdoor barbecue space.

$11.5m - Hamilton Rd, Herne Bay

This grand Herne Bay abode has been home to a swathe of rich listers.

This grand two-storey Herne Bay villa has been beautifully renovated and described by its latest sellers as the “easiest” and “most beautiful” home they’ve ever lived in, according to OneRoof.

They’ve even opened its doors to neighbours on Hamilton Rd, using its ample space and big outdoors to host street Christmas parties.

The home has also been something of a stopover for rich listers as it’s been sold regularly over the past 20 years, sometimes being bought by families as a temporary home while they wait to buy or renovate even grander homes along the nearby waterfront.

That includes a 2021 sale when the Hamilton Rd house was part of a $64m mansion shuffle in Herne Bay in which four homes changed hands as a series of families swapped houses.

$10.3m - Camp Hill Rd, Wānaka

This Wānaka home is nestled below the mountains and has a stone cottage and features crafted out of rocks gathered from the property.

The only home among 2024’s 10 most expensive sales that is outside of Auckland, this “secluded” mansion is set among Wānaka’s stunning alps.

Its wooden finish and the use of rocks “hand-collected from the property” to build a “quaint” bridge and cottage create a mountain retreat vibe and ideal place to cosy up by the fire, according to selling agents New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty.

It also comes with two separate living areas, five bedrooms and a swimming pool.

$10m - Lake View Rd, Takapuna

The new owners of this Lake View Rd home in Takapuna can now enjoy one of Auckland's best views.

This Takapuna home lies along one of Auckland’s most desired streets in Lake View Rd and comes with its own personal access to the beach waterfront.

Modern and stylish, its new owners can also enjoy some of the city’s finest views from their lounge and bedrooms.

$9.7m - Victoria Ave, Remuera

This two-storey Remuera home comes with stylish modern living.

The final home among the 10 most expensive sales is a two-storey Remuera house on Victoria Ave.

Secluded behind tall hedges, it offers its new owners stylish modern interiors along with a large outdoor space and swimming pool.

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