- Author Virginia Innes-Jones, known as Hinemura Ellison, wrote a poem to sell her St Heliers home.
- She and partner Darin Dance renovated the house after purchasing it for $1.9m.
- Innes-Jones is selling to support her elderly parents but plans to stay in Auckland.
A Kiwi writer best known for her political thrillers has turned to poetry to sell her beachside home.
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Virginia Innes-Jones, who writes under the pseudonym Hinemura Ellison, penned a 22-line poem highlighting all the things that she loves about the four-bedroom house at 9 Lombard Street, in St Heliers, Auckland, which is for sale for $2.85 million.
“I think the poem just sums up what it’s like. Everything is there – the city, the beach.”
Lines from the poem include:
An authentically adorable Kiwi bach
Everything you need - a brilliant catch
With a magical entrance, light and bright
And leadlight lantern guiding you home at night
Stylish and homely, yet discreet,
It could even be a writer’s retreat
Innes-Jones and her writer partner Darin Dance bought the “bach” less than a year ago for $1.9m.
She told OneRoof that fate led her to the property. The 1980s house had been vacant for several years after the previous owner died. “She [the house] was just crumbling, and she talked to me and said ‘you’ve got to get me and bring me back to life’,” Innes-Jones said.
Darin Dance and Virginia Innes-Jones, who write under pseudonyms Hinemura Ellison and Ted Hughes, with their novels. Photo / David Haxton
The home has been renovated and upgraded since the vendors bought it at the end of last year. Photo / Supplied
Innes-Jones made an offer the same day she saw it. “I couldn’t dither. I had to make an offer that night. It was like, I can’t muck around on this.
“I kind of fell in love with the story about the house and the old man who had lived there. It just reminded me of baches down in Akaroa, in the South Island, where I’ve spent a lot of holidays.”
Innes-Jones and Dance spent a solid six months renovating the house. “There were Jack and the Beanstalk-style weeds going through the joinery, and the windows were hanging off their latches. It really needed to be sealed and painted.”
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When the couple ripped up the old carpet, they made an interesting discovery: old coins that had been left there for good luck and eternal health. Before laying a plush new carpet, Innes-Jones replaced the coins and added a couple of her own for good measure.
Innes-Jones has had publishing success with her trilogy of murder mystery books written with Dance, who goes under the pen name Ted Hughes. With Sharks With Lipstick, Snakes In Suits and Scorpions In Stilettos behind her, she is now focused on an anthology work in collaboration with other writers and poets.
She told OneRoof that the house had been an inspiration for her writing, noting that she would often sit on the Juliette balcony and the poems would pour out of her. “It’s a magical house. So, I’m doing the heroine’s journey. I feel like Sleeping Beauty looking out at the Sky Tower and the boats,” she said.
The leadlight lantern at the front door is mentioned in the poem as a guiding light for the homeowner. Photo / Supplied
The view from the balcony has been an inspiration for Innes-Jones’ writing. Photo / Supplied
“It’s like a fairytale – you feel like you are in England when you sit there, like a little seaside fishing village.”
Innes-Jones said she had hoped to spend longer in the “magical home”, but was selling up to help her elderly parents, who need residential care.
She said she planned to stay in Auckland, but was unsure what her next house would look like. “I don’t know what’s going to be next. I might just drive down some road. I’ve always wanted to get a church or a lighthouse – I might suddenly find something else which is much, much cheaper than I can afford and needs much less TLC.”
- 9 Lombard Street, in Saint Heliers, Auckland City, has an asking price of $2.85m
