- A New Plymouth home with urinals in the bathroom sold for $2.85m.
- The former Public Trust building attracted global interest, especially for its proximity to the Green School.
- The buyers, from Taranaki, were enchanted by the home’s unique features and aesthetics.
A trophy home with arguably the best conversation starter in New Zealand – urinals in the bathroom – has sold for $2.85 million.
Start your property search
Interest in the former Public Trust building in New Plymouth was global, listing agent Robert Angus, of Robert Angus Real Estate, told OneRoof.
“I had London and Japan on the phone. The enquiry was global. It was phenomenal.”
Angus said some of the buyers were interested in having a footprint in New Zealand to get their kids into the renowned Green School of New Zealand, in nearby Ōakura.
The previous owners kept the old urinals. It’s a favourite topic of conversation at dinner parties. Photo / Supplied
The current owners gave the property a stylish makeover that was in keeping with their minimalist tastes. Photo / Supplied
“There was one couple who were immigrating to New Zealand from London [for that reason],” he said.
“Most of the people coming to New Zealand for the Green School are coming from around the world. They’re not just from Auckland, they’re upmarket types.”
Angus said he had about 10 qualified buyers showing serious interest, but most couldn’t stretch their finances to the level needed to buy. “All day long I could have sold it for $2m,” he said.
Despite the international attention, the eventual buyers came from further down the Taranaki coast.
Discover more:
- Lotto dreamers: 8 of the most expensive homes for sale right now
- Former TVNZ weatherman Jim Hickey sells his dream hangar home to fellow pilot
- Big kid's rail paradise up for sale - 10 tunnels, two bridges and a 370m track
Asked what they thought of the urinals, Angus laughed: “They certainly saw them. That’ll do. They’re into aesthetics and all that sort of stuff, and they’re very enchanted with [the home].”
It’s the fourth time Angus has sold the King Street property. His history with the building stretches back to before he became a real estate agent. He worked in the building in the 1970s as a cadet for the Public Trust. He then bought the building and became the Public Trust’s landlord.
The 1920s building was converted into a residential pad more than a decade ago by Paul and Shelley Carrington, a family with connections to the father of New Plymouth, Frederic Alonzo Carrington.
The Glen Johns designer kitchen is a standout feature. Photo / Supplied
The property still bears the hallmarks of its commercial past. Photo / Supplied
The 463sqm home has four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and three internal car parks. It also boasts two self-contained studio apartments, which could be turned into short-term rentals.
Some of the more notable features include a Glen Johns designer kitchen, a police-certified gun safe, a bespoke tiled spa pool, a built-in wine cooler fridge, a Warmington open fireplace, an outdoor speaker system, and a sauna.
The vendors, Kurt Aldam and Karyn Johnston, were selling because they’d bought another notable building to convert into a residential home.
The couple, who had sold their offshore oil and gas services business, would have lived happily ever after in the building if they hadn’t been smitten with a nearby former pub.
The rooftop deck offers views over the city. Photo / Supplied
“We bought New Plymouth’s first hotel [Chatsworth House], a number of years back. We wanted to convert it into a house, but it had commercial tenants, and we couldn’t get rid of them, so we sold it to a friend of mine, and we ended up purchasing the Public Trust Building,” Aldam told OneRoof in November.
“The tenants moved out finally two years ago, and my friend said, ‘Do you want to buy it back?’ And my wife said, ‘Yes’. At that point, we had this dilemma because we really love King Street. We had to make a choice, and she won.”
- Click here to find more properties for sale in New Plymouth
