- The Auckland villa once owned by TV chefs Hudson and Halls sold for $1.6m.
- Vendors Owen and Tate Chiunda expressed mixed emotions about selling the historic property.
- The villa, known for its vibrant history, was a hub of parties and culinary flair.
The Auckland villa once owned by TV chefs Hudson and Halls has been snapped up for over $1.7 million by a young couple.
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Vendors Owen and Tate Chiunda told OneRoof that they were both happy and sad to be passing on a piece of New Zealand’s culinary and party history.
“It’s a property that we loved. We bought it to be our forever home, but our situation changed, so it’s good to have it in good hands,” Owen said.
“I think the young couple will definitely make a lot of happy memories in the house. They are looking forward to living here.”
The chefs in their heyday. They used to throw elaborate parties in their Parnell villa. Photo / Supplied
Brighton Road is now a quiet family home, but the atmosphere, say the vendors, is just as joyous. Photo / Supplied
He joked that the buyers weren’t old enough to know who Peter Hudson and David Halls were.
They’ll get to know the property’s history once they move in, though.
Tate told OneRoof last month that both she and Owen loved hearing about the house’s colourful history. “We tried to look for people to find out more,” Tate said.
“The next-door neighbour is British, and he was friends with the guy who used to live in this house after Hudson and Halls. There was a plumber who put in the pool, but we really didn’t have much to go on.”
Peter Hudson and David Halls bought the three-bedroom house on Brighton Road, in Parnell, in the 1960s.
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Colourfully described by one visitor as “p*** elegant”, the interior of the villa was, under their stewardship, a riot of stapled fabric and swirling patterns while the exterior featured Greek statues and, frequently, empty wine bottles.
According to the duo’s biographer Joanne Drayton, the home was party central, and stood in contrast to the restrictive, “humdrum conformity of early 1960s Auckland”.
Drayton recounted: “Brighton Road was the perfect place to entertain, and Peter and David had the culinary flair to pull it off. The occasion began for most people with drinks, but if you became a friend the parties could get larger and more elaborate.
The three-bedroom villa on Brighton Road was stylishly presented. Photo / Supplied
The house comes with an outdoor pool and decent-sized section. Photo / Supplied
“Brighton Road was transgressive, and just being there helped party-goers loosen up, especially when revelries were mixed with large amounts of alcohol. In this atmosphere of tolerance, Peter and David’s sexuality became to a large extent irrelevant. They didn’t discuss it; they didn’t make an issue of it.”
The chefs slept in just one tiny bedroom, which featured two single beds, Drayton noted.
The pair’s cookery antics were a staple of New Zealand TV from 1976 to 1986, before they moved to the UK. Hudson died of cancer in 1992, and Halls died the following year.
Tate told OneRoof that many of the changes to the villa date from the chefs’ time in the house. “They built the lean-to by the pool. Apparently, they used to have parties and throw bottles into the pool.”
The house, which has an RV of $2.1m, was listed with Bayleys agent Fleur Denning. It was snapped up after passing in at auction earlier this month but Denning told OneRoof she could not reveal the final sale price.
Denning posted online: “Delighted to share that Brighton Road, Parnell, has sold after strong interest and multiple offers! A heartfelt congratulations to our wonderful vendors and the lucky new owners.”
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