Jonah Lomu's iconic former mansion is up for sale for the first time in 16 years.
The house overlooking the Wellington Harbour has long been a landmark to onlookers and neighbours in the suburb of Maupuia and gained extra noteriety when the former All Blacks superstar bought it for $1.05 million in 1999 when he joined the Hurricanes Super Rugby side.
When news of the grand purchase made local newspapers, police had to be called to help with crowd control after thousands of fans turned up outside the orange complex hoping for a glimpse of the star at home.
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The mansion in Maupuia, Wellington, was home to Lomu and often described as "Jonah's castle". Photo / Supplied
Former fellow Hurricane and All Black Ma'a Nonu described the house as "Jonah's castle" when reminiscing of his time with the Wellington-based club to NZPA in 2009.
"He used to live in Maupuia (in Wellington), the big orange house on the hill. That was Jonah's castle.
"I just lived down the road in Miramar and he used to pick me up for training. I was pretty lucky...He had a few nice cars too."
In 2001, the house gained even more prestige when the National Business Review listed it amongst the country's best and most beautiful in a Top House survey.
Property records show the house sold in November 2003 for $1.14 million, just above what Lomu paid for it. It sold again for $1.52 million.
If Lomu had lived and held on to his "castle", he'd be looking at a huge profit, with the property carrying a rating valuation of $2.43 million.
The house is being marketed for sale by Bayleys agent Ann Curtis, with tenders closing on March 18.
The view from the cliff-side terrace. Photo / Supplied
The house is described as having "incomparable privacy, panoramic water views and extraordinary single-level living".
The mansion boasts four double-bedrooms, two double-garages, three bathrooms, an expansive kitchen and a terrace that wraps around its harbour-facing living areas.
The kitchen area. Photo Supplied
Lomu collected 63 caps for the All Blacks, scoring 37 tries, and was widely-regarded as the first true global superstar of the newly-professionalised sport of rugby union. Lomu passed away in 2015 due to complications from the kidney disorder nephrotic syndrome.
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