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Treehouse with cliff-side lift on market for first time in 45 years

A custom-designed Lockwood treehouse in Lower Hutt hits the market

By Kylie Klein Nixon (Stuff)

Last updated: 5 September 2025 | 4 min read

FAST FACTS

321 Marine Drive, in York Bay, Eastbourne has been in the same family for 45 years.

A custom designed Lockwood home, it is reached by a lift up the hillside.

There’s a second, 1940s-built dwelling on the section that has been tenanted for 20 years.

With almost 5kms of coastline, Eastbourne is considered one of Lower Hutt’s bluest Blue Chip suburbs.

There’s something a bit special about Eastbourne, the little hamlet across the harbour from Wellington City. Perhaps it’s the undulating line of the coast that dips in and out of the bays, or the quaint village, with its fruit shop(sadly soon to close) , butcher and rustic café, like a place out of time.

Or perhaps it’s the location-defying homes, often built high on the surrounding hills, in spots you can hardly believe it would be possible to build in.

The 1970s-built home at 321 Marine Drive is a case in point. Today it’s reached by a feat of engineering, a lift that snakes up the side of the hill from the garage below. Clever, right? Well get this... when the house was built, that lift didn’t exist.

The home at 321 Marine Drive, in Eastbourne, has an incredible view.

Who lives here?

The home belongs to Nigel and Lis Jawari Connel.

Nigel is an engineer who has lived at the property for about 45 years. He and Lis have been married for about 35 years.

Connel says Lis has been “integral to the maintenance and upkeep of the place”. She's also the green thumb of the pair, who planted cuttings, both native and tropical, all over the hillside.

"I came back to New Zealand having worked overseas for 20 odd years, and bought this hillside," says Connel. "A fire had been through it about six months prior. There was a lot of gorse [...] so then I was on a mission to make the hillside home."

The home sits high above the coast, and is reached by stairs, or the cliff-side lift.

Where on earth is this place?

This home is at the top of Hal’s Gully, in York Bay, Eastbourne. The Second Bay as you drive into Eastbourne, it’s about a 13-minute drive from Lower Hutt and a 31 minute drive (outside rush hour) from Wellington CBD.

What’s special about it?

The interior and the location combine to give cosy treehouse vibes.

It’s actually three dwellings on one 7,000m²+ property: an original one-bed, 1940s-built cabin that is in need of some restoration, and the main three-bed, two-reception, two and a half-bath home, which has a separate, one-bed, one bath granny flat underneath.

But perhaps the most outstanding feature is that it’s both a pole house and a Lockwood, which is rare.

Connel commissioned the house design from Lockwood after his initial, architecturally designed plans proved too costly. A pre-fab Lockwood home was more affordable. But he had to work with Lockwood to combine their designs with the pole house concept.

The poles come up through the Granny flat, under the main house.

A pole house?

That’s a structure that’s built on single timber poles, like whole tree trunks, that are sunk into the ground to create a foundation.

In Aotearoa, it used to be the preferred method for building on steep sites, as the poles can be cut to different lengths to create level support for the base of the structure despite the uneven land below.

The main part of the house has two reception rooms.

Excavating the pole holes was going to be expensive, so Connel hired some affordable labour to do the work - local school students on their holidays.

"They basically did that with minimal supervision for me [...] six of them actually worked digging the holes, and it took them a student day to excavate one hole for one pole. We needed 39 of them."

Hang on a second, how did they get the poles up to the side of the hill?

The original, late 70s kitchen is very cool.

Good question.

“They got dropped at the park between York Bay and Lowry Bay. And then Mr. Button ran a helicopter at that time, and he lifted them [...] one at a time they dropped straight into the hole that was pre-excavated."

The Lockwood part of the home was also flown up to the house in parts, to be constructed on the platform.

The bathroom is also original.

What's it made from?

Timber. One of the best features of the house is that the foundation poles come right up through the house and are exposed in the downstairs flat.

Has it got any special features?

The granny flat has its own, private, outdoor entertainment area.

How much time have you got?

An engineer, Connel designed the lift that takes you up the side of the hill to the house. The family lived there for about 10 years before the lift was put in.

“Well, I was young and fit.”

Down the hill is a small cabin that could be renovated and let out, or used as the ideal work from home spot.

Like a lot of the hillside properties in Eastbourne, it has a stunning view of the harbour.

Inside, it’s pretty unique, because it looks and feels like a tree house, with timber walls and ceilings, and lots of picture windows looking out on the surrounded lush bush and the sea.

It also has an original late 70s kitchen and bathroom in a pretty handsome olive and avocado colour, with original wood alcove handles. Stunning.

The home has two conservatories.

Finally, if you’re a fan of rustic baches, one comes with the house. This has the potential to be renovated and let. Connel had a tenant in the bach for a long time.

How much will a place like this set me back?

The property has a CV of $1,210,000, however it has a buyer price guide from $999,000. The property is resource consented too for subdivision, so there is a possibility of recouping some of that price, or renovating and letting the granny flat and cabin.