- An unusual house designed by Pip Cheshire and Terry Stringer is for sale.
- Kyria Mailman bought it for $4 million in 2021 after losing her travel business.
- Mailman is selling to fund an environmental project, describing the property as peaceful and healing.
An unusual-looking house designed by the late architect Pip Cheshire in collaboration with sculptor Terry Stringer is up for grabs.
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The striking property, which looks like a futuristic castle, was once the home of the Zealandia Sculpture Garden. It was snapped up by wellness guru Kyria Mailman in 2021 for $4 million after she lost her luxury travel business following the Covid pandemic.
"I was devastated. I had lost my luxury tourism company,” Mailman told OneRoof. “I was on the front page of the [New Zealand] Herald. I was the top charter company for the America's Cup and had 20 boats. Everything felt like it was going in the right direction, and then it all just crashed around me.”
Wellness guru Kyria Mailman bought the property in 2021 for $4m. She loves the energy of the land. Photo / Supplied
The one-of-a-kind property is stylish and futuristic. Photo / Supplied
She bought 138 Mahurangi West Road, Mahurangi West, as an escape. "I did not want to be in the city. I could feel everyone’s anger and energy in that lockdown,” she said.
"I got here, and I spent six months going, ‘What the hell have I done? Oh my god, I am on my own.' And then the trees just started talking to me."
Mailman said the trees, not Cheshire's house, were the main reason she bought the 2.71ha lifestyle block. "When you stand on the land, you just want to cry. The energy is incredible. You do not need to go to church. You just go into nature, into the bush, and it talks to you and tells you everything you need to know," she told OneRoof.
“The trees gave me the best air. This property leaves you in peace because it is just the most peaceful place when you get here."
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Mailman is selling the property to fund an environmental restoration project called BioBonds. "I have done my healing now. It is a beautiful place. I know that this is the right thing to do, so I am going to detach from it. I am ready to be seen. I want to back myself and to go into my next project."
Mailman listed the property for sale last year, but told OneRoof that she took it off the market within weeks, because she couldn't face selling. “I took it off because I got sad because I did it all up and it made it look beautiful, and then I could not sell." She is now ready to go through with a sale, but added: "The last owners wept when they left. I feel the same way."
The home was originally designed for sculptor Terry Stringer, who wanted something akin to a ruin emerging from its midst.
The angular home was designed with multiple nooks housing kitchens and bathrooms. During Stringer’s time, the property housed a gallery on the ground floor and featured movable walls.
The sloping walls are a standout feature. Photo / Supplied
Sculptor Terry Stringer at the house in 2015. Photo / Ted Baghurst
Stringer told the New Zealand Herald in 2015: "I thought I wouldn't wait for someone to build a museum for my work. I would do it myself."
Stringer collaborated with Pip Cheshire on the build: "I wanted complexity, and Pip was trying to make things more Zen. I didn't want simple spaces; I wanted deceptive spaces and surprises." The zinc-clad "ruin" is reminiscent of one of Terry's best-known works, Mountain Fountain, which sat in Auckland’s Aotea Square, where it was popular with skateboarders, before being shifted to the plaza in front of Parnell's Holy Trinity Cathedral.
The current home comprises two separate dwellings, the Forest Suite and the Cloud Suite. The former gallery home now has two self-contained suites, and the converted woolshed operates as a standalone residence, Bayleys agent Jenni Finlayson writes in her listing on OneRoof.
“Together, they create a living environment suited to extended family, hosting or a more private retreat-style lifestyle."
- 138 Mahurangi West Road, Mahurangi West, Auckland, has a set sale date of April 9
