- Fan Roger Twiname purchased Bill Hammond's Banks Peninsula bach for $400,000, sight unseen.
- The sale included Hammond's iconic artworks; Twiname plans to restore the bach and add tribute works.
- Twiname and his wife, fans of Banks Peninsula, were thrilled to secure the property.
Bill Hammond’s biggest fan has snapped up the late painter’s Canterbury bolt hole - sight unseen.
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Structural engineer Roger Twiname told OneRoof he thought Hammond was New Zealand's best artist, so when the opportunity came up to buy his secluded bach in Banks Peninsula, he couldn't resist.
Lyttleton-born Hammond, who died in 2021, aged 74, is held up as one of the country’s most influential modern artists, with his paintings highly prized by galleries and collectors around the world.
On the kitchen walls are ink drawings bearing Hammond’s distinctive style. Photo / Supplied
The hut’s central beam is adorned with Hammond’s art. Photo / Supplied
His 42sqm hut was sold “as is, where is”, but included in the sale were some of his iconic artworks.
Twiname, who lives in Wanaka, told OneRoof: "I've always been a huge fan of Bill Hammond and I have three of his works at home. I regard him as New Zealand's best artist. Any gallery I go to, I love finding his work. So, when this opportunity came up, I thought, ‘I should look into this.'"
Twiname had his lawyer review the contract for the Wainui Valley Road property two days before last week's auction. His first bid, made over the phone, scared off the competition, and he scooped up the property for $400,000. “My wife [Kerstie] considered me to be somewhat irresponsible,” he said.
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Twiname, who is an artist himself, told OneRoof he planned to restore the bach and paint tribute works on the wall. He is also speaking with Hammond’s widow, Jane McBride, about retaining some of the artist's furniture and artifacts.
“I think it came my way by chance, and I've been very fortunate to have been able to buy it. I'd like to respect that by how we're going to treat it.”
Twiname and his wife are also big fans of Banks Peninsula. “We’ve hiked Te Araroa. We've hiked around Banks Peninsula. We did the multi-day walk from Akaroa. That was a fantastic experience," he said.
“When I lived in Christchurch, I used to spend a lot of time up in the Port Hills, running the Crater Rim track and hiking up there. We have this affinity for that area. Banks Peninsula in particular. And there’s an appeal, like Bill, in having a bolt hole."
Hammond’s Melting Moments 1 sold under the hammer for $1.715m in 2023. Photo / Supplied
Hammond’s Wainui - which echoes his bach work - sold last year for $70,000. Photo / Cheska Brown
The couple only got to see the bach last weekend. Bayleys listing agent Phillipa Linton, who marketed the hut with colleague Chris Mangels, said: “They came up to see it, so I got to meet them properly. They're just over the moon. You could not ask for a nicer end to the story.
"They were just awestruck, to be honest. They looked through and just went, ‘oh my’. He's an absolute [Bill Hammond] fan. He just went, ‘wow’. Then there was silence. He was just awestruck.
“He was more than aware, from the photos and videos he’d seen, that the house needed some work. But that’s what he’s all about. Doing things up and making them great.”
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