- The Bliss family’s off-grid Taranaki retreat was sold to scientist Andrew Robson and his wife Laura.
- The property’s link to Tom Cruise wasn’t a factor for the new owners focused on sustainability.
- Robson plans to experiment with wind power and a water turbine at the eco-resilient home.
The Bliss family’s off-grid retreat in Taranaki has been snapped up by a scientist who doesn’t care all that much about the home’s link to one of the world’s most famous actors.
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The heritage villa at the heart of the lifestyle block on Pembroke Road West, in Stratford, was formerly home to a well-known New Plymouth restaurant that hosted Tom Cruise while he was filming in New Zealand.
“When we took this place over, we were told that when The Last Samurai was filmed in Taranaki, the film crew and Tom Cruise often rented out the Kassaba restaurant,” vendor Fraser Bliss told OneRoof this year.
“So, we have a small claim to fame, that Tom Cruise has had dinner in this dining room. I don’t know how true that is, but I like to believe it’s true.”
Tom Cruise in action in The Last Samurai. He filmed the 2003 epic in and around Taranaki. Photo / Supplied
The heritage villa was moved to the 1.4ha lifestyle block in 2018. It had been the site of Kassaba Restaurant in New Plymouth when Cruise dined there. Photo / Supplied
However, the Hollywood connection wasn’t a consideration for the property’s new owners, scientist Andrew Robson and his wife Laura.
The couple had been looking for the perfect home for two years and had almost given up when they came across the Bliss family’s retreat. They were in the South Island and made an offer sight unseen, telling OneRoof they only set foot on the property after they bought it.
Andrew, who researches experimental off-grid energy systems, had been working in Taranaki for two years but commuting from Christchurch. “We’d come to the point where we didn’t think we would find the ideal place and then we saw the advert for 602. It ticked every box.”
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The family’s new off-grid home is the perfect playground for “dabbling” in alternative power sources. It also means they can take “a holistic approach to balancing the eco-system, from planting to the bugs and insects that keep the system ticking over”.
Andrew plans to experiment with wind power and to add a water turbine to the stream, although he realises it might be more folly than a working energy generator.
He also said the link to Cruise in his new dining room wasn’t a huge consideration.
“I’ll be honest. The Tom Cruise angle just doesn’t even come anywhere near our side. It’s a nice story, but it’s a beautiful house and Fraser and Victoria [Bliss] have done some amazing work there.”
The vendors ran their organic food delivery firm, Bliss Box, from the property. Photo / Supplied
The Bliss family own organic delivery company Bliss Box, and have sold to move nearer to town for their daughters’ ballet interests. They were happy with the offer, which was $50,000 above the RV. “We looked at it, and we said, ‘We would pay that much for it’, so we were happy to accept that,” Fraser told OneRoof.
Fraser said leaving the home exposed the family to energy price hikes, but they had taken the move in their stride. They plan to take an extended break overseas, before settling close to New Plymouth.
Their three-bedroom, two-bathroom home sits on 1.41ha of land, and as listing agent Alison Smith, of Smith + Bishop, points out, had been designed with energy independence at its core.
“This is more than just a home; it’s an eco-resilient lifestyle,” Smith said in her listing on OneRoof. “Whether you’re passionate about growing your own food or simply want to live more sustainably, this property delivers.”
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