- The Grey Lynn house from Sione’s Wedding is for sale for the first time in 23 years.
- The four-bedroom villa was used as the minister’s house in Sione’s Wedding and its sequel.
- Owners Brendon and Amanda Wilcox had planned renovations but decided to sell instead.
The real estate star of Sione’s Wedding and Sione’s 2 is for sale for the first time in 23 years.
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Sione’s producers loved the Auckland villa’s vibe and used it in several key scenes in both movies.
It was used as the minister’s house where the film’s main characters – Michael, Stanley, Sefa, Albert and Bolo – run the gauntlet of disapproving neighbours and relatives and are banned from the titular character’s wedding.
125 Crummer Road was able to draw on its past to give an authentic performance: the villa’s previous owner was the Presbyterian Church, and it was used to house ministers until the current owners, Brandon and Amanda Wilcox, bought it in 2002.
The four-bedroom corner villa used to be owned by the Presbyterian Church before it was snapped up the current owners more than 20 years ago. Photo / Supplied
The villa’s wide open spaces attracted the film crew shooting Sione’s Wedding. Photo / Supplied
A scene from the sequel to Sione’s Wedding - Sione’s 2: Unfinished Business. Photo / Supplied
“When we bought it, the minister and his wife did the negotiations on behalf of the Presbyterian Church, which was Samoan at that point,” Brandon told OneRoof.
“Reverend Tepou was minister there from 1979 until 2001, he and his family had lived here. We still have the pencil marks on the doorway recording the children’s heights.”
Brandon remembers the moment Sione’s Wedding came knocking in the mid-2000s. He told OneRoof that location scouts had been up and down Crummer Road looking for a big home that could accommodate the cameras and crew.
“I opened the door, and there’s this guy standing there. He leans to one side and looks over my shoulder, and I see his eyes light up. It’s an unusually large hallway, and there’s one scene where the boys do their walk of shame.”
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Producers South Pacific Pictures and director Chris Graham repainted the villa’s white walls to bright Samoan colours and filled the house with the film’s Pasifika community.
"The hallway is huge. My son and I used to play hallway cricket and hallway soccer. We did have to replace the glass in the front door once,” Brendon joked.
The Wilcoxes were able to stay in the house during the filming of both Sione movies, de-camping to bedrooms while cast and crew took over the house and catering took over the back lawn.
When the family bought the villa in 2002 for just over $500,000, many of the 1970s and 1980s additions were still there, including dated wallpaper and carpets. Luckily, much of the front timber work was still there, and the floors, once stripped back to the original boards, polished up nicely.
The owners had plans to complete an extensive renovation but have decided to sell instead. Photo / Supplied
The tall hedges offer privacy from the villa’s deck. Photo / Supplied
Brandon told OneRoof they had planned to conduct an extensive renovation, which included going up into the roof for sea views, digging out a double garage, and creating a new living space, but decided it was time to let someone else enjoy the villa, which has an RV of $2.8 million.
“We’ve been sitting on the plans, keeping the dream alive, but we’ve realized now that it’s time to let somebody else take the grand old lady over,” Brandon said, adding that the resource consent won’t expire until August.
“We love the house so much, but on the other hand, we recognize that it’s not practical for us to see the plans through, so we need to hand it over to somebody else and let the transformation begin.”
Barfoot & Thompson agent Marc Collins, who is bringing the property to auction on April 30, declined to give a price indication but said do-ups were once again proving popular with buyers in the suburbs.
“It’s 556sqm, a reasonable piece of land for Ponsonby and the consents give permission to exceed the site coverage a little bit because it’s a corner site. It’s a juicy extension of the house, and from the top floor, you’ll get views to Coxs Bay,” he said.
“People are looking to do-up again, whereas a while ago there was a lot of uncertainty over costs. Now, everybody knows that real estate is going to be a long-term plan, that’s a good thing. In the end, it will be a 300sqm house.”
- 125 Crummer Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland goes to auction on April 30
