Is This Waiheke Island’s Best House? Inside a Home Where Nothing Is Predictable
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PHOTO: 9 Cable Bay Lane, Oneroa, Waiheke Island, Auckland. PROPERTY NOISE/BAYLEYS
If you were asked to describe Waiheke Island’s best house, chances are this one would immediately enter the conversation.
Perched on a grassy hill in Cable Bay, this striking, sculptural residence is unlike anything else on the island — or, arguably, in New Zealand. Designed by acclaimed architects Julie Stout and the late David Mitchell, the home won Home of the Year in 2009, and more than 15 years on, it still feels radically fresh.
As former Home magazine editor Jeremy Hansen famously put it:
“Nothing about this home is predictable — but it’s also totally liveable.”
The heated swimming pool is off to one side of the house. Photo: Bayleys
The sculptural form extends to the pergola that shelters this outdoor living space on one side of the family living area. Photo: Bayleys
🏗️ Architecture That Refuses to Be Ordinary
From the moment you arrive, it’s clear this is not a conventional luxury home.
The design is anchored by a glass-walled pavilion-style living space, flanked by two soaring tower wings that give the house a commanding, almost sculptural presence in the landscape. Timber, glazing and carefully framed sightlines dominate both the exterior and interior, creating a seamless relationship between architecture, land and light.
Award judges described it as a home that “engages with the spirit as well as all the senses” — praise that feels entirely justified.
One of the home’s most celebrated features is its double-height ‘thinking room’ — a space intended not for television or entertaining, but for contemplation.
There’s also a dramatic music room, which doubles as a home office, complete with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a sculptural ladder — a space equally suited to creative work or displaying art.
Guest accommodation is intentionally compact and intimate, with judges likening the screened sleeping spaces to Japanese ryokan architecture or even tree huts — small, thoughtful retreats rather than oversized bedrooms.
A west-facing deck on the other, capturing sweeping sea views and the Auckland skyline
Windows throughout the home are carefully positioned to frame views of native bush, rolling hills, Rangitoto Island, and the sea beyond.
Natural light floods the interiors, while clever shading — including distinctive “eyebrow” cedar screens — controls heat and glare without sacrificing outlook.
Timber features extensively inside as well as on the exterior of the house. The deck on the west side looks out towards the city skyline. Photo: Bayleys
The “music room” is a soaring, double-height space that’s perfect for displaying artworks. Photo: Bayleys
🌿 More Than a House — A Private Estate
The scale of the land elevates this property into true estate territory.
Set on 3.12 hectares, the grounds include:
A heated swimming pool and spa
Extensive landscaped gardens
Established native bush
A natural amphitheatre
A productive orchard with fruit and nut trees
Approximately 55 mature olive trees
There is also separate visitor or worker accommodation, complete with its own rear access — ideal for extended family, guests, or staff.
Glazing on two sides ensures the open-plan living space is filled with natural light. Photo: Bayleys
The main suite on the ground floor is also lined with bookshelves. Pops of bright colour feature throughout the house. Photo: Bayleys
💰 A Rare Listing in a Rare Market
Now offered to the market for the first time, the property at 39 Cable Bay Lane is being marketed by Bayleys as “an extraordinary lifestyle property — a quiet triumph of architecture, landscape and light”.
The home has a rateable value of $7.6 million and is for sale by negotiation.
Recent high-end Waiheke sales provide context for its positioning, including:
379i Gordons Rd – $11.35m
25 Delamore Dr – $6.025m
68 Korora Rd – $5.7m
Cedar screen awnings like eyebrows keep the heat of the sun out of the cabin-style guest bedrooms in the second tower wing. Photo: Bayleys
🌍 Foreign Buyers Back in Play
The timing of the listing is notable.
Recent Government changes to the foreign buyer ban now allow overseas investors to purchase New Zealand property valued at $5 million or more — a move that could increase competition for rare, architecturally significant homes like this one.
According to Cotality chief property economist Kelvin Davidson, the impact will likely be concentrated at the very top end of the market, without filtering down to everyday housing.
🏁 The Bottom Line
This is not a predictable house. It was never meant to be.
It’s a home for people who value architecture as experience, not just square metres. A place where design, landscape and lifestyle are inseparable — and where every space invites discovery.
Is it Waiheke Island’s best house?
That’s subjective.
But few would argue it isn’t one of the most remarkable private homes ever built on the island.
Cedar screen awnings like eyebrows keep the heat of the sun out of the cabin-style guest bedrooms in the second tower wing. Photo: Bayleys