- Wendy Kendall, former circus performer and sister of windsurfing champ Barbara Kendall, is selling her Waiheke Island home.
- Kendall, also a windsurfer who represented New Zealand thrice, toured Indonesia with a circus as a dancer.
- She bought the Onetangi home from circus earnings and runs Waiheke Herbs, a nationwide business.
A one‑time circus performer who also happens to be the older sister of windsurfing legend Barbara Kendall is selling her long‑time home on Waiheke Island.
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Wendy Kendall admits she’s had a very interesting life and is one of only a handful of people to have danced on an elephant.
If the walls of her three-bedroom home at 9 Pah Road, in Onetangi, could talk, they’d have a lot to say.
It began when the Kendall siblings, including Bruce, were young. Bruce took up windsurfing first, followed by Wendy, who represented New Zealand three times, and then Barbara, whose one aim in life was to beat her older sister. “I was the one she wanted to beat,” Wendy told OneRoof.
Wendy Kendall on top of a circus elephant during her tour of Indonesia. Photo / Supplied
The three-bedroom home at 9 Pah Road is on the market for the first time. Photo / Supplied
Wendy and Barbara were also passionate dancers. For Wendy, that led to a circus tour of Indonesia, while Barbara was runner-up in Dancing with the Stars New Zealand in 2009.
“My sister and I were in a dance group, and when the circus came to New Zealand, some of the dancers from our group who were in the 91 FM cheerleaders joined the circus. When it went from here to Indonesia, they were looking for more dancers. I auditioned and got one of the six places,” Wendy told OneRoof.
“We were in Jakarta for 10 weeks, and then we went to Surabaya and then Semarang. It was an international circus, so they had acts from all over the world, including bears from Germany and soccer dogs from Scotland and a trapeze acrobat family from Spain.”
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Between the main acts, Wendy performed with the elephants.
On her return to New Zealand, Wendy bought 9 Pah Road with her savings and help from her parents. “I’d saved up a lot of money from the circus and from living at home,” she told OneRoof.
“We engaged a friend of ours who was studying architecture and who had a sculptor dad and an artist mum. He did a scale model of the property, and we talked about where the sun was, where the wind was. So, it’s an amazing house, it’s so functional.
The Onetangi home has an RV of just under $5m. Photo / Supplied
“We’ve also got a giant soundproof studio. We’ve been playing in bands for many years, and all our kids play music.”
In their listing on OneRoof, Bayleys agents Mana Tahapehi and Hayden Ringrose wrote that the home was close to the beach and a short stroll from “local favourites, including Ki Māha, Three Seven Two, Charlie Farley and Casita Miro”.
Wendy said she and her husband were selling up but would still like to stay in Onetangi. She continues to run her business, Waiheke Herbs, which sells artisan herbal food and skincare products made with edible-grade ingredients. “I’ve got a great little team that does most of the production, and we’re nationwide. We’ve been going for 20 years.”
- 9 Pah Road, Onetangi, Waiheke Island, is for sale, deadline closing March 24
