A well-worn two-storey heritage villa that featured in the movie Hunt for the Wilderpeople has been brought back to life after a near-three-year-long restoration by a husband and wife team.
Steve and Nicola Gregg bought the newly subdivided site at 29A Hepburn Street, in Freemans Bay, in 2017. The sprawling house, which was built in the 1880s by Auckland’s then deputy mayor, was in desperate need of repair.
“There’s not a single centimetre that we didn’t have to work on,” says Steve.
After that, the couple set to work pulling apart and restoring their grand home.
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What the house looked like when in 2016. Photo / Michael Craig
Although the structure was fundamentally sound, various generations had made changes, some of which were not in keeping with the villa’s original look.
"We found Gib on top of Gib and other strange things,” says Steve.
The couple were hands on throughout the project, often painting and sanding into the early hours of the morning.
The restored home, which was used as a backdrop in one of the city scene scenes in Taika Waititi's hit comedy, boasts five bedrooms and five bathrooms and high-quality fixtures and fittings, with Steve telling OneRoof that no expense was spared in the project.
The Greggs renovated the property from top to toe, adding crystal chandeliers and luxury fittings throughout. Photo / Supplied
Crystal chandeliers and colourful leadlight glass windows and doors plus carefully restored heritage ceilings are testament to Steve and Nicola’s dedication to their task.
The couple have finished their work but decided during the first lockdown that it was time to move on. They are now selling the house, which has a CV of $5.3 million. “It’s been a lot of work and now we just feel that life is for living so we’re contemplating a move to the Gold Coast, perhaps, and a smaller, easy-care property,” Steve says.
The house gets all day sun and has views to the city. Photo / Supplied
Ray White agent Heather Lanting, who is marketing 29A Hepburn Street with colleague Marty Hall, won’t be drawn on price except to say she expects it to exceed recent sales of renovated properties in the greater Ponsonby area.
“You see what the Greggs have created and we respect what what they have done to keep the beautiful Heratige of this area intact,” Lanting says, adding that there are only a few houses in Freemans Bay of size and grandeur to 29A remaining.
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