- A “castle” made from recycled materials in Whataupoko sold for under its $2.195m RV.
- The buyer plans to live in the house and potentially subdivide the 1ha land.
- The property, built by Geoff Thorpe in the 1980s, features materials from around New Zealand and Australia.
A quirky “castle” made from recycled materials and featuring turrets and stained-glass windows sold last month after attracting buyer interest.
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The five-bedroom house, tucked away in Whataupoko, had easy access to the Waimata River, which runs through the east coast town.
Bayleys listing agent Jacob Geuze said a local bought the property for less than its RV of $2.195 million. They had fallen not just for the house but the development potential of the 1ha of land it sits on.
“The person who bought it does have longer-term plans of maybe subdividing some sections of it and living in the house itself.”
OneRoof profiled the property in December, highlighting among other things an open-air swimming pool (the nearby river), a bike shed that holds more than nine bicycles, and a sleepout.
The castle was built in the 1980s from salvaged material. Photo / Supplied
The vendor says the house was unlike anything he had seen before when he bought it. Photo / Supplied
The property was a labour of love for the original builder, Geoff Thorpe, who owns a Gisborne avocado tree company.
Built in the 1980s, he used recycled materials salvaged from around New Zealand and Australia.
The project started small but expanded as his family grew. Along with brother John, Thorpe brought back all manner of wood and other salvaged supplies, which were incorporated into the build, including chunky golden kauri beams and dark jarrah from the former Common Shelton building where Gisborne’s Treble Court mall now stands.
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The brothers also saved totara from the nurses’ home at Cook Hospital, and cut up an eight-legged historic wooden water tower.
Bricks were sourced from the Eastern and Central Bottling Company on Gisborne’s Aberdeen Road, and windows started life in an old Wairarapa Presbyterian church. Local banks, hotels, and even the local Inland Revenue Department contributed to the home.
The vendor, Martyn St John, told OneRoof he bought the home from Thorpe in 2001 for just over $400,000.
Despite its size, the five-bedroom house is largely hidden from public view. Photo / Supplied
St John had not long moved from the UK to New Zealand when he found himself in Gisborne looking for a house, and this one was unlike anything he’d ever seen in England. “It’s a house you either think is lovely or otherwise. I think it’s lovely,” he said.
Geuze said some of the people who came for a look found the house a bit too quirky, but others had fallen for its “warmth” and its proximity to the river.
“I would say the person who bought it, while they really do love the house and will enjoy it, the house itself probably wasn’t the [biggest drawcard].
“They should be able to cut it up [the land] but there will be a few hoops to jump through and a bit of work involved, so it’s certainly not guaranteed they will be able to do something, but they were fairly satisfied that given some time and some money, they’d be able to do a bit more with it.”
Five ocean-facing sections on Whakamahi Road, in Wairoa, are for sale for $350,000 each. Photo / Supplied
The Waimata River is the main river that flows through Gisborne, and while it’s tidal and not the crystal clear rivers of some other regions, it’s a nice river for swimming, kayaking and rowing, Geuze said.
Geuze said he was also fielding interest in five sections he has listed for sale in nearby Wairoa. The 2000sqm-plus plots all have a view of the ocean and are priced at $350,000.
“The vendors have owned the land for 10ish years, and it’s been quite a long process of subdivision, but we’re starting with selling five sections of what will probably be 10 or 12 sections in total, and then they’ve got a couple of bigger land titles behind this main subdivision.
“They look out over the Wairoa Bay and the ocean right through to Mahia Peninsula. Just a great development and whatnot for that little Wairoa region – it’s suffered quite hard over the last few years with weather events and that sort of stuff.”
The sites were designed for high-end, modern living, he said.
- Click here to find more properties for sale in Gisborne
