Molten lava extra at new luxury Mt Eden home

From the front, a newly built luxury home at 92A Marsden Avenue, presents as a modern but traditional depiction of a two-storey Mt Eden villa, overlooking Centennial Park.

But if you dig a little deeper you’ll find this property has a quirky extra feature which sets it apart from others nearby. It has its own subterranean lava cave. Yes, you heard right, a lava cave. And when you think that Mt Eden’s mountain, Maungawhau, is Auckland’s highest volcano, it all makes sense.

Mt Eden, Mt Albert and all the way to Meola Creek experienced lava flow when the mountain’s two cones erupted about 28,000 years ago.

According to property agent, Greg Dennerly from NZ Sotheby’s International Realty, the developer, Arvi Crossland, decided this special subterranean space should be given some extra love so it would become a room that the new owners could use.

A clever electrician has wired the space and a small chandelier has even been installed to add to its charm. An attractive timber frame and roofed entranceway has been built to invite visitors into the space. The steps going down are well lit, and a table and chairs and a bottle of whisky, suggest that this could be an ideal spot for Dad to get some peace and quiet. You can stand up in the cave, which is a similar size to a media room, and you could easily fit three or four chairs down there, says Greg.

On the other hand, it’s an ideal spot for the kids to set up a fort and have some adventures. About half a dozen children could happily take over the place, says the agent.

So it may be that Dad and the kids fight it out, but whoever has dibs on it, it’s going to be a real talking point for the new owners when they’re proudly showing people around their new property.

This is the fifth and final of the new luxury homes, developer Arvi Crossland has built at 92 Marsden Avenue, each totally different in design. And it’s the most opulent of the five, likely to sell in the $4.6 million to $4.7 million price range, says Greg. It would cost $5 million to build today, according to a valuer, he adds.

Downstairs there are family bedrooms and a guest suite or home office with a private deck. On the second floor, the main bedroom with en-suite and dressing room, has its own covered veranda overlooking the park. The property also has an ancient Puriri tree which shades the outdoor entertaining area and is accessed through a series of bi-fold doors along one wall.

But it’s the neighbours who will be the key to this home, says Greg. Three new owners have moved into the four other houses at 92 Marsden Avenue so far. These largely professional families have been watching with interest the love and care poured into making the lava cave an extra room.

Centennial Park is a real meeting place for local people to meet and walk their dogs, says the Sotheby’s agent.