- Terry Wright's Auckland villa sold for just over $5 million after a competitive auction.
- The property, rented to the US ambassador, was sold for less than the $5.29 million paid in 2018.
- The new owner plans a major renovation on the 100-year-old, five-bedroom home in Remuera.
A former All Black has sold his grand Auckland villa for just over $5 million after families went head-to-head for it at auction.
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Two bidders turned up to bid on Terry Wright’s large five-bedroom home on Orakei Road, in Remuera, which for the last five years Wright had rented out to the United States ambassador in New Zealand.
The auction, held in Bayleys’ auction room on Wednesday, opened at $4m and paused for negotiation at $4.85m after just three bids.
While the negotiations played out in private with the lead bidder, another party was sitting in the auction room, deciding whether or not to make a play for the property when it came to the floor.
It did, at $5m, and that bidder upped the stakes by $50,000 and won the property.
Bayleys agent Gary Wallace said the new owner had been shopping around for a home in the area and had other options if they lost the auction for Orakei Road.
Terry Wright, right, with former All Black captain Richie McCaw. Photo / Getty Images
Wright in action during his playing heyday. Photo / Getty Images
Wright and his wife, Lindsay, never got a chance to make the house their home due to her work overseas. Photo / Supplied
“Interestingly, they had agents trying to sell them something else. That’s pretty much the scenario for some of these properties at the moment. If vendors don’t listen to where the market is, buyers are very quick to move on and buy something else.”
Wallace said his clients had decided to accept the highest bid on the property, even though it was under the $5.29m they paid for it in 2018.
Wallace said his buyers planned to “spend a substantial amount of money and give it a major renovation” to bring it up to a high-quality standard, he said.
OneRoof reported last month that Wright, who played winger and fullback for the national rugby team from 1986 to 1992, had never actually lived at the property.
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His wife, Lindsay, works in financial services, and as a result, the family had been based overseas for much of the last two decades, in Sydney, Tokyo, Singapore, New York and Hong Kong.
“We always had the intention of returning home and wanted a family home,” Wright told OneRoof. “We bought it, and then Lindsay found her new greatest role in Hong Kong, and we weren’t going anywhere all of a sudden.”
The 100-year-old property instead became a high-end rental, with the Wrights earning $4500 a week from it. The US Government moved in five years ago after deciding it met all of its requirements, including privacy, security and a back lawn big enough for a marquee.
Wright told OneRoof that the home hosted high-society soirees, including during the Fifa Women’s World Cup in 2023. “The consulate invited us to everything they did – they had a lot of functions – but it was always safe in the knowledge that we lived in Hong Kong, so we probably weren’t going to turn up,” Terry laughs.
The Wrights rented out the grand villa to the American Government. Photo / Supplied
The six-bedroom home is full of character fittings and details. Photo / Supplied
The lease expired in October last year, with the US Government paid $8.45m for a renovated heritage mansion for Melissa Sweeney, US Consul General in Auckland, to live in. The five-bedroom home, also in Remuera, had previously hosted a top celebrity because of its privacy and security.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/remuera-property-with-celebrity-links-sold-to-us-government-for-8-million/premium/S3IQ5NBGY5BVXJ5LI3OH7YKBPI/
Wright earlier told OneRoof that even though he and Lindsay were now back in New Zealand, they had decided to sell Orakei Road. Their children had all left home, and the large villa was far too big for just the two of them to rattle around in, he said.
“We wouldn’t do it justice. It needs to be busy and have stuff going on.”
The villa boasts original features, including ornate plaster ceilings, beautiful bay windows in the lounge and dining room, and period fireplaces in many of the rooms. A newer addition is a two-sided gas fire shared between the living room and an outdoor deck.
Two of the four upstairs bedrooms have an ensuite. There’s also a downstairs guest suite with a bathroom, fridge, “bar and sink set-up” and external access suitable for intergenerational living or Airbnb.
“It’s a great family home with lots of space and sun. There are areas where families can spread out,” Lindsay told OneRoof last month.
- Click here to find more properties for sale in Remuera
