Auckland's oldest surviving house - a five-bedroom colonial homestead in Parnell - has sold for an undisclosed amount.
The renovated mansion at 24 Ruskin Street had been listed with a price tag of just under $5 million.
Ray White agent Ross Hawkins, who marketed the property, posted news of the sale on Linkedin at the weekend.
"Sold today in Parnell. One of New Zealand's oldest homes. Congratulations to our new owners," Hawkins wrote.
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The vendor - who lives in Australia - had been motivated to sell after the house passed in at auction in March.
Hawkins told OneRoof that the buyers were Australians who were returning to New Zealand. He said they had admired the house for some time.
The house, which is more than 170 years old, has a 2017 CV of $4.7 million and sits on a 1292sqm section. It had been used over years as a police hostel, a kennel, and even a brothel.
In its earliest days, the property was referred to as the "city farm" because of the amount of land it covered.
The house has been sensitively renovated to retain many original features. Photo / Supplied
Hawkins told OneRoof last month that while the house had been upgraded and boasted a luxury finish, it still retained much of its original character.
“Many people have done horrible '70s add-ons to houses of this era which destroys the character of the home,” he said.
“The beauty of this home is that it looks like it could still step out of the history books and into 2021.”
The house, seen in the centre of the picture, in the 1850s. Photo / Supplied
The grandson of one of the past owners of the house told OneRoof last month that he was surprised how little had changed.
Gary Stanborough, 77, who attended the on-site auction in March, said his grandfather had first moved into the house in 1928 as a tenant before buying it in 1942. The family had sold the house after he passed away in 1975.
Stanborough said it was touching to see the house now, and was surprised to see what had changed and what had stayed the same.
Aucklander Gary Stanborough, 77, whose grandfather owned the house from 1942 to 1975. Photo / Daria Kuprienko
What was now the dining room used to be the main bedroom, and although there were plenty of luxury touches throughout the house, Stanborough said a lot of original features had remained intact.
“It was a huge property all the way to Windsor Street, with gardens and trees, and a honey house,” Stanborough said.
