It’s only a short jaunt from the city today, but when the house at 2 Konini Rd, Hataitai was built, it was a horse-drawn buggy ride over Mt Victoria from Wellington.
In the early 1900s, the journey was so arduous, people stopped at tearooms on the crest of the hill for refreshments before continuing on to the capital’s newest subdivision.
“It was the Churton Park of its day,” says current owner Chris Jury, of the large sections that had been freshly carved from what was farmland.
The 1908 home on Konini Rd was converted into four flats. Photo: LOWE & CO / Supplied
Now, the 1908 home is at the centre of a bustling little community, a short walk from the local pub and the fabled Hataitai Hot Bread Shop (open 24 hours on weekends); a slightly longer walk to Kilbirnie pool and Evans Bay beaches.
With a villa this size – six bedrooms over two floors that have been converted into four flats, there’s no hiding the fact that it’s in need of some TLC.
The home is deceptively tall, being almost three storeys at the front. Photo: LOWE & CO / Supplied
The exterior paintwork is peeling and stained, but the new roof is on tight and inside is new wiring and plumbing. It stands proudly on its plot, backed by a substantial garden – a rarity in what are now classed as inner city suburbs.
The place also has its history intact. One of two homes built at the same time by the same builder, it’s the only one that retains its quirky Victorian turret.
It was this turret and the tin roof above it that drew owner Jury to the house.
He and then-partner Tania Deichert bought the substantial property about eight years ago, after looking at it every day from the window of the flat they shared down the road.
Thinking it was such an unusual property, the couple jumped at the chance to have look around when it came on the market as a private sale. They were given the tour by then-owner Des, a 92-year-old man who had been in the property for about 40 years.
“Des, I think, being a child of the Depression, never threw anything away, and he’d done everything himself.”
While it needs TLC outside, inside it’s bright and beautifully kept, highlighting the period features. Photo: LOWE & CO / Supplied
The carpets were laid on one another and tacked down with hob nails. As one wore out, Des would tack another in its place.
There were no hot water cylinders; hot water came from Zip boilers on the walls. The tin roof was rusting and there was an earthquake notice on the property, which meant it would require strengthening. None of that deterred Jury.
“We bought it because we really love Hataitai. It was our opportunity to stay close to a place we love and the community here.”
The home is divided into four flats, each with their own living, kitchen and sleeping spaces. Photo: LOWE & CO / Supplied
Although Jury thinks the property was meant to be a single dwelling, it had already been divided into four flats – Des lived in No 1 and his name is still on the letterbox. It’s been kept that way.
They have restored and updated a lot, however, fixing the roof, wiring, plumbing and other cosmetic features, before letting out the flats.
One of their tenants was Cameron Christie, briefly, the only known New Zealander to have been cryogenically frozen after his death in 2013.
An advocate of the process, Christie’s address was identified by Google Maps as the Cryonics Association of Australasia. That marker has since been removed.
But that is far from the home’s only claim to history.
Built some time after 1908 by Wellington developer, and one time Mayor of Auckland’s Onehunga, John James Boyd, it was one of several homes Boyd owned on Konini Rd.
The home has six large bedrooms. Photo: LOWE & CO / Supplied
In his retirement, Boyd decided that he wanted to set up a zoo in Whanganui.
He imported animals from around the world, displaying them at enclosures in what was then a thriving port town, and eventually in Auckland. It’s possible the properties on Konini Rd were built to fund Boyd’s menageries, says Jury.
Despite its somewhat morbid past, Jury says the house isn’t spooky at all, although it does creak a little.
The view from the bay windows shows the rooftops of Hataitai. Photo: LOWE & CO / Supplied
“One thing I did find unnerving was the height of it. If I stood right by the window on the top floor and looked down . . . I just wasn’t used to it.”
When he grew accustomed to his vantage point over the suburb, Jury said he loved living there and describes the home as having “a really nice feel”.
“It’s not ornate. So many properties from that period were, but this seems to be more ‘wartime austerity’.
“Maybe when Boyd came to finish it, he finished it with a lighter hand than you typically did back in the day. But I love the fact that it’s got so much space, the rooms are big, and the house is situated in a good place on the section, so you actually get a backyard that is usable.”
Not all the flats in the building are completely finished inside; one will need significant work. Photo: LOWE & CO / Supplied
Jury says he’s selling now because Deichert, who still lives in the building, is moving to be closer to family.
“I entered into this with my partner.
“Our view was, we’re always going to finish it, because we love it, and it’s been so much fun living here,” he says.
But when she decided to move Jury realised it was time to let someone else become the home’s custodian.
There are plenty of outdoor green spaces for parties and entertaining. Photo: LOWE & CO / Supplied
“I think it would be great if someone could come and take it forward.
“When Des sold me this property he was actually really happy, because he knew we were going to look after it and bring it forward.
“He had it for 42 years, not wanting to see it demolished. I was, ‘OK, I’ll pick up the baton’. We’ve done what we can and now we’re moving on.”
The six bedroom, three bathroom property extends over 360 square metres, and sits on 825sqm land. Its current RV is $1,010,000.
The home is being sold by agent Mike Robbers for Lowe & Co by tender, which closes at 3pm on November 12.