Bella Italia
Impressive and imposing, this Italian-styled home brings a taste of the Mediterranean to Tauranga.
Words Jo Ferris
Sharing more in common with some of the finest estates on Waiheke Island or Auckland’s blue-chip suburbs of Herne Bay and Remuera, the fact this prestigious property even exists here in Tauranga is testament to its owners’ foresight and belief in the district’s future. This home will defy time
– and remain as rock solid as it stands today – long into the future.
This home’s design, construction and innate essence are born from the Italian aristocratic palazzos it pays homage to. Solid concrete – including internal walls – construction and quality finish throughout totally belies any initial perception some buyers could be forgiven for thinking, according to Oliver Road’s Cam Winter.
Viewing is essential – if only to confirm the extent of this home’s magnitude. On the surface, the epic design and unique finish extols the Italian penchant for grandeur. Beneath all this however, the home hides well-considered attention to the fundamentals of a warm, healthy environment.
It epitomises the Mediterranean appreciation of family and nourishment. Togetherness feeds the soul - and this home instils that village philosophy in every conceivable way. Layered – like family – it revolves around the main household. This is magnanimous, and caters for crowds as effortlessly as it does for intimate dinners for a few. From here, the house embraces inter-generational unity with two individual, self-contained suites. The largest provides a two-bedroom apartment on the upper level. The second is a New York style one-bedroom apartment cleverly built into the basement level. Separate living for elders or extended members with children – together, yet independent.
Being multi-faceted, this home’s capacity for accommodating staff is also brilliant – from groundspeople to nannies or private tutors. A property of stature that also lends to boutique accommodation or an intimate function venue. Entertaining inside or out, the focus revolves around nurture and nourishment. It’s easy to envision long, lazy lunches outside, or lingering dinner parties in the soaring luxury of the banquet hall inside.
Such status personifies the luxury of international grand homes and estates often featured on TV programmes and in exclusive magazines. And deservedly so. Seen firsthand, the quality here is clearly apparent – from the concrete construction to the interior finish that mixes genuine Italian materials with exquisite New Zealand and accents. It is an intricate fusion of ancient Mediterranean heritage with hi-tech innovation and engineering ingenuity. Safely guarded behind gated security, within nearly an acre, this haven ensures seclusion and solace, protection, and privacy. Manicured gardens and courtyard corners, topiary pathways and sloping lawns,
a heated pool for year-round leisure, a spa for added bliss – it is the quintessential lifestyle.
Cam Winter notes that its relative length of time-on-market can be almost entirely attributed to perception, both with respect to its construction (given Tauranga’s and New Zealand’s unfortunate “leaky home era”), which this property sits so far beyond – not only in age (built 2008) but also in the reality of its solid-concrete construction. Possibly also some concern about the future Takitimu North Link.
Now under construction and, with clear evidence of what will eventuate on Waka Kotahi, NZTA’s website, far away from producing any audible impact on this property, the highway will actually improve surrounding traffic and shorten distances to key arterial connections including shortening the distances both into Tauranga’s CBD and north towards Auckland. The scenic beauty of Wairoa Valley will remain, and its uninterrupted west-facing aspect will continue to produce magnificent afternoon sunshine which become romantic late-evening sunsets. With only 14 neighbours spaced in their own settings, life in this elite enclave can only improve.
5 Sunny Downs Drive, Tauriko