It's not the most expensive home that has ever sold in Hawai'i, but a Big Island estate recently sold for a pretty penny — 2.9 billion of them to be exact.

An unidentified buyer last month paid $29 million for an oceanfront residential complex on 2.6 acres at Mauna Kea Resort, according to property records.

Built in 2000, the six-building residence features a main house that includes a 2,000-bottle wine room, as well as three separate guest houses and an 80,000-gallon saltwater river stocked with exotic reef fish, according to sale listings.

The property was listed for $35 million by Big Island real estate broker Ric Rocker, and had been featured earlier this year as one of The Wall Street Journal's lavish estates of the week.

According to the Journal, the residential complex was developed by John Hoffee, a retired founder of a medical-supply company. According to property records, Hoffee bought the land in 1997 for $6 million and spent at least $8 million on construction.

At $29 million, the property's sale price equaled the amount paid for a Kahala mansion on O'ahu last year.

Other sales, however, have been higher, such as the 1988 purchase of the former estate of industrialist Henry Kaiser on O'ahu.

Japanese billionaire Genshiro Kawamoto bought Kaiser's Portlock oceanfront property, which included a main home, a guesthouse, staff house and boathouse on 7.2 acres of leasehold land, for $42.5 million. At the time it reportedly was the highest price paid for a private residence in America.

More recently, several Mainland residences have been listed for prices exceeding that deal.

According to a December article in Ultimate Homes magazine, the Kaua'i oceanfront estate of movie producer Peter Guber listed for $46.5 million was the eighth most expensive home for sale in the United States.

The Kaua'i property covering 171 acres includes a main house, two guest bungalows, a caretaker's house, yoga studio, stables and a spring-fed pool. It is still on the market.

Property records show Guber's Mandalay Properties Hawaii LLC bought the site in 1998 for about $7 million, and built the homes in 1999 and 2000.

Reach Andrew Gomes at agomes@honoluluadvertiser.com.