- The Stanly Street tennis courts in Eketāhuna are for sale for $230,000-plus.
- The 4930sqm site includes old asphalt courts and a pavilion, with potential for restoration.
- The courts were built in the 1950s and decommissioned in the 1970s when the club moved.
The Stanly Street tennis courts have been listed for sale for $230,000-plus. No, not the Auckland Stanley Street courts, home of the ASB Classic. To get that sporting ground, which has hosted countless tennis stars over the years, including Venus and Serena Williams, you’d have to add quite a few zeroes to the above price tag.
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What’s on offer is the old Eketāhuna tennis courts, which just happen to be on Stanly Street.
The 4930sqm grounds have seen better days, but Property Brokers listing agent Patrick Baker said the courts were “the place to be” back in the day.
9A Stanly Street, in Eketāhuna, Tararua, was home to the town’s tennis courts. Photo / Supplied
The old pavilion is still standing but is in a "knackered" state, according to the listing agent. Photo / Supplied
Still standing, just, is the old pavilion, with the men’s and women’s toilets and showers. The original asphalt is also intact.
Baker told OneRoof he wasn’t given much information about the history of the courts, which were in an even worse state until recently, when the vegetation was cut back and cleared.
“The late owner bought it 23 years ago and paid $57,000 for it. He always had plans for it. It has passed to his children, and they’ve decided to sell it.”
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He said his clients arranged for a contractor to clean up the site. “They got a little digger in, scraped it all back, and the asphalt is in good condition.”
While Eketāhuna is jokingly known as the “Timbuktu of New Zealand”, due to its rural location and small population, Baker prefers to call it “Waiheke without the sea”.
“It has very interesting, colourful people. It’s a great community with a thriving rugby club, a neat little town vibe, and a cool school. There are about 130 kids there.”
Baker believed the new owner of 9A Stanly Street could restore the courts to their former glory, but equally, thought the site could be used for storing containers or vehicles.
An artist’s impression of the proposed covered stadium at Auckland’s Stanley Street. Photo / Supplied
“From a real estate perspective, it’s zoned residential, has services there, and a beautiful backdrop. There are no covenants; you could do whatever you want, although you’d need to do your due diligence.”
Baker said the courts were built in the 1950s and likely decommissioned in the 1970s when Eketāhuna Tennis Club moved to the local Domain.
Neither local museum staff nor the current tennis club committee could explain why the club relocated. The museum holds limited records noting the Stanly Street courts opened in 1953, but little else.
Club president Kirsten Waterman said the club’s current home was “fantastic and up to standard to host stars like [Venus and Serena Williams]”. She’d even invite Novak Djoković to test the QR-code-accessible courts. “It’s an amazing little facility. We resurfaced it in 2019 - the turf and floodlights are pretty awesome.”
Auckland’s Stanley Street courts are in line for upgrades, with Tennis Auckland earlier this year announcing plans for a $15 million covered stadium at the site. The aim is to have the 2027 ASB Classic played under a roof inside a redeveloped, larger stadium.
- 9A Stanly Street, Eketahuna, Tararua, is seeking buyer enquiry over $230,000
