Whimsical treehouse to be sold

The Redwoods Treehouse has garnered worldwide attention for its innovation and design. Photo / Supplied

Award-winning structure part of estate that includes three houses on four titles

An award-winning Warkworth treehouse that has been used as a restaurant is for sale.

The 14m tall pod structure wrapped around a redwood tree was opened in 2008 as part of a marketing campaign for the Yellow Pages.

It was built for $600,000 on forestry businessman Ken Holmes' SH1 property near Warkworth and access to it comes via a walk.

The property is being offered for sale by tender and includes the treehouse, four titles and three houses.

Mr Holmes was in Africa and could not be contacted yesterday.

The restaurant was previously open to the public, but the business shifted focus and it now takes bookings only for corporate or private functions.

Difficulties in safely turning into the property from the highway resulted in the restaurant closing temporarily in 2010.

Resource consent for the property depends on bus or coach access for guests, as it is deemed too dangerous for private vehicles not familiar with the property.

Peter Eising of Pacific Environments designed the Redwoods Treehouse, which won a number of domestic excellence industry awards as well as being a finalist in the World Architecture Festival award and ArchDaily building of the year.

Judges for the New Zealand Institute of Architecture Award said: "Structural inventiveness has played a key role in the creation of the whimsical, lantern-like organic form. Evocative and imaginative, it happily fills the role of architect as event."

The structure generated international attention for similar projects in China.

A film crew from South Korea and an American treehouse enthusiast have also expressed interest.