Should you buy this $5m wellness mansion in Matakana?

Saturday, 6 June 2026

Who knew New Zealand’s very own White Lotus-style wellness retreat was less than an hour’s drive from Auckland? And that you can buy it for $5 million?

I sure as heck didn’t, but I do now after getting a tour of the luxury pad in Matakana by its owner David Leon.

The property is called Lotus Estate, but David actually had no idea about the hit series The White Lotus - set in a luxury resort. It’s just a coincidence. He named it that because there is a lake that runs past the house that is full to the brim of lotus flowers.

“Come January, February it’s magnificent,” he says. “So that gave its name.”

The lakefront estate is set on approximately 1 hectare (2.47 acres) of rural land. It includes a main residence and a fully self-contained two-bedroom cottage.

Every inch of the house is set up for wellness. A sound system entertainment area, indoor and outdoor fireplaces, pizza oven, pool, twin outdoor baths and even an ice bath.

Your morning could start with a workout in the gym, then a swim, sauna and ice bath rotation - followed by a sound bath, if you’re that way inclined.

(A sound bath is nothing to do with water - it’s when you’re immersed in deep sound vibrations. I gave it a go during the tour, it’s interesting.)

An evening could be spent around the outdoor fire, cooking pizza and jamming to the sound system. It’s all here.

Younger than when he moved in

David has been in the house for seven years, but with all the wellness on offer, says he feels younger than when he moved in.

“There’s so many different areas, that’s the cool thing,” David says. “We’ve had four parties going at the same time and we don’t step on each other's toes.”

“I’ve lost weight, feel stronger. I believe that I look better too,” he tells me.

Now he’s coveting a hyperbaric chamber to add to his wellness routine - a machine that allows you to breathe pure oxygen in a pressurised enclosure to accelerate healing in the body.

But if you’re the type to get your wellness from nature instead, the house even comes with a flock of ducks. I’m not kidding. They even have names, Duke is the boss apparently.

“Obviously we need to make sure the buyer would be the right person for that. If not, I would rehome them,” David says.

The company helping David to sell his home, Parker Marmont, says “Lotus Estate is a home where vision, design and lifestyle come together in a way that is rarely seen”.

If you want to take a tour yourself, you can check out the Trade Me listing here.

* This piece of editorial was brought to you by Tower