An unspoilt piece of Northland coast is the highlight of a family farm estate now on the market for the first time in a century.

Due for auction through Bayleys, the Webb family farm property bordering Ngahau Bay northeast of Whangarei is a 660ha farm was owned by the three bachelor Webb brothers Brian, Peter, and Neville for most of their lives. Last year they all passed away within months of one another.

Bayleys Whangarei salesperson Lin Norris says the expansive property offers options for potential buyers, thanks to the multiple titles contained within its boundary footprint that include steeper farm-forestry country, through to the idyllic 5ha beachfront title.

“Of course, the beachfront title on Ngahau Bay is the jewel within the property crown and offers a very special opportunity to purchase a piece of coastal perfection that is becoming extremely rare these days,” he says.

The title includes an eighties style home that the Webb family used as a holiday bach, but is more than suitable for permanent living, with four bedrooms, two bathrooms and ample living space for families seeking a holiday hideaway.

“As a site, it is almost parklike, thanks to a conservation covenant that includes much of the title, preserving it to a very high natural level. That includes extremely mature pohutukawa trees right down to the water’s edge, all on a very flat, sandy well-drained site.”

The section’s naturalness is enhanced by the adjoining Mimiwhangata nature reserve at neighbouring Mimiwhangata Bay, well known for its fishing and as a surf spot.

The bay also claimed a moment in the spotlight in 1970 when Queen Elizabeth and the Royal family visited it on the royal yacht Brittania, disembarking to enjoy a picnic at nearby Okupe beach.

“Over the years the family has had multiple offers to purchase the property, but these have been fiercely pushed back until now, and it is unlikely any purchaser would be likely to want to move on, once they have secured such a spot.”

The 5ha property is due for auction on Wednesday, May 1st.

Adjoining the 5ha site is a 73ha title that offers a range of elevated building opportunities for buyers wanting to establish their own dwelling, taking advantage of the area’s remoteness and privacy.

Currently run as a grazing block as part of the larger property, the property includes road frontage to Ngahau Bay road, with views that include vistas across Oakura, Whangaroa, and Cape Brett, with access to Mimiwhangata Bay. The 73ha property is also due for auction on Wednesday, May 1st.

“For anyone wanting a private spot with plenty of space and the opportunity to shape it as they want it, this is a very rare opportunity to acquire a property of this size.”

An additional 101ha block also offers similar opportunities for building, and currently also run as a grazing block has some forgiving contour throughout its title.

Of the entire property, the largest block of 480ha comprises four titles that offer a range of recreational and development opportunities.

“One of these blocks, consisting of 102ha has the original Webb family homestead upon it, still in remarkably good order but needing some love and repair work,” says Norris. Built from timber felled on the property, the home includes four bedrooms and features the characters of a typical 1920s bungalow design.

Other buildings on the title include some near new cattle yards and a disused walk-through cow shed, while water is sourced from a stony bottom stream and supplied via pumps to a new 25,000-litre storage tank.

An adjoining 55ha property has steeper sidlings offset with expansive elevated views across the bay area, while another 143ha title includes a small wool shed and a farm cottage that could, with some work, be used as a weekend retreat, benefitting from a generous view to the northeast out across the Pacific.

The remaining 179ha title within the 480ha offers some of the farm’s better-quality land but has today, like much of the property, reverted to scrub and Manuka that provides income through beehives and the potential to regenerate native bush and generate carbon credits.

“This particular part of the farm is on the Te Araroa tourist trail, and with that comes some potential for further tourism development, alongside more beehive sites, while carbon farming is an emerging area of interest from some enquirers,” says Norris. The four titles totalling 480ha are for sale by tender, closing Tuesday, April 30th.

Lin Norris says the potential of the Webb property is limitless, with the multiple titles enabling a buyer to tailor their needs to a particular title’s contour and location.

“Opportunities to purchase titles like this do not come along very often these days, and we are witnessing some serious enquiry from people who recognise this and don’t want to miss out.

“Whether it is one eye on the tourism market and opportunities there, or simply a desire to have an idyllic piece of Pacific coastline, it is all here across the titles,” says Norris.

Click here for more information on the listing.