Henry’s back - would I lie to you?
Last month, following OneRoof’s scoop on the $45.5m sale of a mansion in Queenstown, I highlighted some of the trophy homes that wealthy buyers could splash their cash on. One of those luxury spreads, the Herne Bay marvel created by rich-lister property developer Kurt Gibbons, sold just two days later - possibly for a record sum.
Another mansion profiled by OneRoof, a stunner on Ronaki Road in Auckland’s Mission Bay, sold within two weeks of hitting the market for more than $20m, while a mega-mansion in neighbouring St Heliers got almost $17m.
Making an earlier-than-expected return to the open market - and vying for a similarly big price - is the Remuera mansion owned by entrepreneur Diane Foreman and her broadcaster husband Paul Henry.
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Barfoot & Thompson agent James Doole said the couple hosted a few family weddings at the property over the summer, so they hit pause on their listing just before Christmas. Now that they are spending more time at their home on Waiheke Island, 33 Arney Crescent is free for inspection.
Henry and wife Diane Foreman have relaunched 33 Arney Crescent after a busy summer. Photo / Supplied
Henry fronted the marketing campaign last time around but he’s now letting his car and the house do the talking. Photo / Supplied
This time, there is no video of Henry telling potential buyers to check their bank balances. Instead, the listing features in prime position a photo of a vintage Daimler with the number plate “Liars” - a reference to the 2012 show Henry hosted with comedians Jesse Mulligan and Jon Bridges. Would I Lie to You? had contestants reveal embarrassing tales about their lives - some of which were true, some of which were not. A bit of a precursor to Henry’s current gig, hosting The Traitors NZ.
Coincidentally, the mansion where The Traitors is filmed, a “dark and mysterious” Gothic-style estate at the foot of Mount Horrible, in Timaru, is also up for grabs. Castle Claremont has been looking for a new owner since 2018.
222 Mt Horrible Road, in Claremont, Timaru, has a starring role in The Traitors NZ. Photo / Supplied
The vendor, Robert Young, picked it up almost 20 years ago for $1.5m, telling OneRoof back in 2023 that he decided to buy within 30 minutes of setting foot on the estate.
“I came up the driveway and said to the driver, ‘Wait, I’m having this, I won’t be long’, and I was in and out within half an hour and that was it - done.”
The 11.6-hectare estate, which has a price indication of around $5m, is for sale by negotiation with Barfoot & Thompson agent Jan Klee.
Big dreams, tiny home
Auckland’s tiniest most expensive house is up for sale again.
The 33sqm section at 1A Tuarangi Road, in Grey Lynn, is occupied by a brick shed that’s 9sqm in size and once housed a pumping station for Auckland Gas Company.
The property, which has an RV of $185,000, last sold in 2022 for $280,000 and comes with plans to wrap a cool three-storey gallery and home around the shed.
It is being marketed for sale this time around by Barfoot & Thompson agents Jacqui Vaughan-Kells and Kath Barnes, who are calling on buyers to unleash their creativity and “seize this rare opportunity to dream, design, and build”.
A tiny brick shed, measuring just 9sqm, is up for grabs in Auckland’s Grey Lynn. Photo / Supplied
The Grey Lynn site was sold in 2022 with plans for a three-storey wonder, but the resource consent for the build has expired. Photo / Supplied
OneRoof covered the property’s sale in 2022 and talked to the buyer. He said that he wanted to create a family home on the site.
“I wanted some connection with [Auckland’s] heritage, I wanted Grey Lynn or Ponsonby or Parnell,” he said, adding that he’d also been drawn to the Orakei Basin boatsheds, but was disappointed to learn that they could not be turned into residences.
The buyer told OneRoof that he liked the designs drawn up by Hamish Stirrat, of Fabricate Architecture, and planned to extend the resource consent in order to line up finance for the project.
Alas, plans changed and the buyer is moving on. The property is largely the same as it was in 2022, although the listing photos show quite a bit of nature covering the shed.
The previous owners, retailer Cameron Woodcock and artist Gavin Hurley, had bought the plot in 2017 for $268,900 and planned to turn part of it into a gallery for Hurley’s work. They sold to focus on a project in Whanganui.
Vaughan-Kells told my colleague Catherine Smith that a change in circumstance meant the property was back on the market.
“We’ve had great interest in the last 10 days. We’ve had offers. The vendor understands he bought in a different market and will be selling for a lower number.”
She said the old architectural plans were not being sold with the property. “People are looking at the old plans for a bit of an idea, but you’d need to do your own. It’s an exciting opportunity for someone who is forward thinking, and we’re getting great enquiry. It’s such a great little spot for an office or a food truck. We’ve had artists considering a gallery downstairs and potentially living upstairs.”
- Owen Vaughan is editor of OneRoof.co.nz. You can contact him with any property tips or story ideas at owen.vaughan@nzme.co.nz
