A half-finished mansion next door to New Zealand’s richest family has hit the market for sale.
The sprawling half-finished house, in Auckland’s Coatesville, sits on an overgrown 1.02-hectare section that borders the luxury estate that the billionaire owners of ZURU Toys bought in 2016 for $32.5 million.
The owner bought the property in 2007 for $845,000 and obtained consents to start building work in 2015. Ray White listing agent Catherine Liu told OneRoof construction began before Covid. But the project was never completed.
When OneRoof asked why the house was never finished and was being sold now in an “as is” state, Liu said: “It is a change of situation. And it is not suitable for their family.”
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She said her vendor wished to remain private.
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The listing on OneRoof pitched the property as an opportunity for buyers to complete their “dream mansion on a premium estate”. The listing photos show just how much work is left to do. The foundations, roofing and exteriors are largely finished and the building has been closed in but the interiors are empty and at the framing stage.
Two of the listing photos show hanging on the frames what appear to be an artist’s impressions of a finished home, complete with landscaping and an outside pool. The artist’s impressions also appear on a video advertising the property.
The property is a shell inside. Photo / Supplied
Artist's impressions of a completed dream home hang from the wall frames in some of the listing photos. Photo / Supplied
According to the listing, the vendors had intended to build a “magnificently designed” 665sqm home, with six bedrooms, five bathrooms, three living areas, a games room, a study, and an outside swimming pool. The listing said there was also a landscaping plan for extensive decking of 275sqm with a game room.
“The structure has a solid frame and good bones,” the listing said. “Our vendor has put lots of heart and soul into this project, with the hope someone can take over and restore it to its intended glory.”
The address is withheld on the listing, although the agents noted that the property was in a “gated area” in Coatesville. They are inviting interested buyers to book a private appointment to view the property before the set sale date of June 28.
The Coatesville mansion, formerly occupied by Kim Dotcom, was bought by the owners of ZURU Toys in 2016 for $32.5m. Photo / Supplied
Liu confirmed that the property was next to the ZURU mansion owned by siblings Nick, Mat and Anna Mowbray, who were recently named New Zealand's wealthiest people. The listing video, which starts with a car weaving through leafy Coatesville, also shows the ZURU mansion in the background.
The ZURU mansion was previously owned by Chrisco founder Richard Bradley and had been famously rented out to internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom. The property was raided by police in 2012 after Dotcom was accused in the US of conspiring to commit money laundering.
It was said at the time of Dotcom’s arrest that he had tried to buy the properties surrounding the mansion. Liu said that as far as she was aware, Dotcom hadn’t approached her vendor.
- The 1.02ha property in Coatesville, Auckland, has a set date of sale of June 28
