Generations of children attending the local kindergarten in Te Puna will remember happy days climbing trees, shearing sheep and growing fruit on Farmer Gordon Burr’s lifestyle property.

With his passing, the property, which sits adjacent to the kindergarten, is being offered to the market for sale, presenting an unrivalled opportunity for a new family to continue the tradition of happy memories and a life spent outdoors.

The home, which has been held by the Burr’s since 1951, occupies an elevated 2.8ha (more or less) site at 19 Minden Road, with expansive north-facing views over Te Puna.

Bayleys Tauranga salesperson Brent Trueman says Farmer Burr is a true local legend, once featured on TV1’s Good Sorts programme as a beloved member of the community.

“We know that several times a week for almost a decade, Farmer Burr opened his property to the children from the local kindergarten, who would pick fruit trees, explore the grounds and learn practical lessons about caring for plants and animals.

“Locally, the property is absolutely iconic, and it personifies the nostalgia many of us feel when we think back to childhood memories and the Kiwi country dream.”

Mr Trueman is marketing the lifestyle property for sale by tender, closing at 4:00 pm on Friday, 29th September 2023 (unless sold prior).

The split-level home spans 250sq m (more or less), flanked by mature fruit trees and established gardens.

It is separated into two grazing paddocks and features a large shed for equipment and vehicle storage, with additional garden shedding for buyers with a green thumb.

The home itself is perched atop an elevated portion of the site, gaining sunny views over the Te Puna village. It features a triple car garage on the ground level, a separate lounge and spa room, and three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Mr Trueman says the home is in original condition, offering an opportunity for the next owner to live as-is or undertake works to utilise the large land site further by designing a dream lifestyle home.

“The existing dwelling features an exceptional footprint - a draw for buyers keen to personalise the property with add-value renovations instead of entire redevelopment.

“However, the commanding site provides plenty of room to grow and an exceptional canvas from which to build a dream home, with the added bonus of living in the existing dwelling while development plans are finalised.”

Mr Trueman says property across the Western Bay of Plenty District has seen an explosion of demand in recent years, as high gains for orchards and the opportunity to diversify pastoral land into horticulture have driven interest.

The value of homes across the district has increased by an average of circa 55 percent in the three years to 2023 as Kiwis from main centres look beyond metropolitan areas for a lifestyle change.

“Since the global pandemic, Kiwis are more assertive in their lifestyle choices, contributing to greater demand for semi-rural properties with a home, a bit of land, and enough room for all the toys,” he says.

“Buyers have also been informed by the last property boom, where well-located sites collected huge capital gain. Growth fundamentals are growing in importance as a pre-requisite to investment – increasingly, we are seeing house hunters seek out properties set to benefit from local population growth and new infrastructure.”

“The latter is a buoy for the entire Te Puna area, which has a thriving village precinct, excellent local amenities and future growth prospects supported by the completion of the Takitimu Northern Link, which will connect Tauranga, Te Puna and Ōmokoroa with a four lane expressway and shared path,” he says.

“The local area has everything Kiwis could possibly want, proximate to the North Island’s best beaches, boating access, boutique and big box retail, schooling and greenspaces. The local communities, whilst growing, retain their friendly village atmosphere, and it is a superb place for families to live and enjoy space beyond urban confines,” he says.

Click here for more information on the listing.