An Auckland boatshed that's hosted Kiwi music stars Dave Dobbyn, Shapeshifter and Ladi6 is on the market for sale.
The 40sqm of prime real estate on Ngapipi Road, in Orakei, goes to auction on December 9 is expected to fetch more than $800,000.
The 1930s boatshed has been used as a song-writing and restorative retreat by musicians and is being sold by Cook & Nelson co-founder Becs Caughey, who spent more than a decade managing Kiwi artists.
Caughey, who co-owns the shed with parents Shona and Tony Caughey and sister Sarah, told OneRoof: "Ladi6 did a lot of writing here. Artists need space to write and think. We’d just come and congregate and talk and be creative.
Start your property search
“It all happened here behind the green door.”
Caughey said that her family bought the shed in 2005 from photographer Mark Smith, who used the space as his studio.
“In my early 20s my first job was working for Dave Dobbyn and we came to do a photo shoot with Mark," she said.
“The whole space just takes your breath away. It’s the most serene, insanely beautiful environment.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Mark became a good family friend and I said, ‘If you ever sell let us know.’”
Multi-award winning artist Ladi6 in the shed at 14 / 1 Ngapipi Road. Photo / Supplied
No.14 boatshed is the smallest of the 17 sheds that curve round Whakatakataka Bay looking back across at Auckland CBD. The sheds are protected by Heritage New Zealand and owners only have a maritime licence to occupy and are forbidden to use them as residences.
New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty agent Lesley McLellan, who is marketing the property, expects it to sell for more than $800,000.
A year ago, a larger fully-renovated shed at No.19 sold under the hammer for $1.2075 million after heated bidding by four bidders.
The shed at number 14, built in the 1930s, was a photography studio before becoming a creative retreat for musicians. Photo / Supplied
McLellan believes only two others have sold in the past five years.
“There’s a reason why artists, writers and musicians and composers and fashion designers and architects and craftsmen have flocked to use this iconic space. The light is marvellous and the view is mystical," she said.
“The buyers will determine where the price is. But these [sheds] rarely come to market. They are held for decades by family owners.”
The nearly 40 sqm shed opens to its own boat ramp on Whakatakataka Bay in Auckland's Orakei. Photo / Supplied
No.14 has had only a handful of owners. It was sold in 1944 to the Ward family, of the Ward footwear company, who held onto it for four decades. When it changed hands in 1988 for $4000, the shed narrowly escaped a 1980s renovation when financial difficulties hit the trust that owned the property. Smith bought in 1993.
Caughey said the shed had been a "godsend through lockdown”.
“I just get the kayak down to paddle, there are fish literally jumping in front of me. Friends pull their boats to the ramp," she said.
The diffused light pouring through the roof is courtesy of former owner, photographer Mark Smith. Photo / Supplied
The simple shed has a loft for storing kayaks and paddle boards, and a small kitchenette, but cannot be lived in. Photo / Supplied
“The sunsets are incredible, you get all the icons of the city – Mount Hobson, Mount Eden, the Sky Tower.”
“We’ve hosted cocktail master classes for 20 for our business [Cook & Nelson, which distributes non-alcohol Seedlip brand], all decked out with flowers. When people walk in, they just feel so creative, and when you do yoga, you don’t need any sound effects
Plenty of creative projects have hatched behind the green door of the boat shed. Photo / Supplied
