– The Campbells Bay house at 22 Park Rise features bold 1970s décor and has appeared in TV shows.
– Owned by Tim and Cheryl Stratford, it includes six bedrooms and a collection of surfboards.
– The property, listed at $2.9m, has received interest despite its original bathrooms.
It has a TV past and is almost certainly the grooviest house for sale in Auckland.
The listing photos for 22 Park Rise, in Campbells Bay, are a riot of bold colours, psychedelic patterns and 1970s nostalgia.
The iconic property has been a hit with buyers, said Barfoot & Thompson listing agent Nadja Court.
“They’re coming because they recognise the décor. They love that era of home. They love the big, solid spaces – it’s got very generous spaces everywhere.”
The decor is a throwback to the house’s 1970s past. Photo / Supplied
The owners’ surfboard collection looms large. Photo / Supplied
The house has also served as a backdrop for various TV shows, including Underbelly NZ: Land of the Long Green Cloud, which told the story of the infamous Mr Asia drug syndicate from the 1970s, and featured in the Crack a Woody (Woodstock Bourbon) ads.
“There were multiple done across the rooms of the house. Like, there’s a little ad that says, ‘If your mum gives you a Woody, is it bad to say’ and things like that. It was quite a clever play on words.
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“There was a chocolate ad made there. With the Underbelly stuff, they borrowed a lot of [the owner’s] surfboards and paddled out for their marijuana deals in the harbour.”
The six-bedroom house belongs to Tim and Cheryl Stratford, who ran Servilles hair salon in Takapuna for many years. They bought it in 2000 for $510,000, but after more than a quarter of a century in their special 70s time capsule, they are selling up to be closer to grandchildren up north.
Tim is an avid surfboard collector and they are a key part of the house, said Court. “There were like, honestly, 50, 60, 70 surfboards all around the house – ones with pounamu fins, just beautiful work. I reckon they’ve moved probably 50 to 100 surfboards out of the property.”
The property made an appearance in the hit crime show Underbelly NZ: Land of the Long Green Cloud. Photo / Supplied
The house and its groovy vibe have been a hit with buyers. Photo / Supplied
She added: “When you look at the master bedroom, it looks like it’s been staged for the house but all the clothes in the wardrobe belong to Cheryl, like she wears those really groovy clothes.”
Court said some houses were “boring as bats***” but not this one. It was built for someone from JBL, a company that found itself in financial trouble in the 1970s.
“Apparently, there was paparazzi all outside when the owners were kicked out,” said Court.
The house was architecturally designed and, in its day, would have been a standout, as it featured multiple ensuite bathrooms and walk-in wardrobes, which were very unusual for 1970, when most families shared a single bathroom.
Court is also selling a bach at 167 Sandhills Road, on Great Barrier Island. Photo / Supplied
There is also a walk-in pantry and “massive” windows and ranch sliders with all the downstairs rooms opening to the outdoors.
Unlike most houses, which were “just plopped on a site” back then, this one was positioned for the sun and the view, said Court.
The RV is $2.9m, and Court said feedback to date was upwards of the early $2ms with a long settlement being offered to take into account people who needed to sell their own home first, which can take time in the current market.
The house is not everyone’s cup of tea, and the original bathrooms put some off, but others are enthusiastic, saying they could move right in and live with the house as it is.
Court said she loves it: “When you walk in, the wallpaper is so fantastic. It’s like, wow, how amazing they’ve left all that because most people would go in and paint everything white.”
Court also has listings over on Great Barrier Island, which she said has been slow over the winter though enquiry was beginning to start up again.
When the Auckland market suffered, Great Barrier’s market suffered, she said, and the Hauraki Gulf island market was also dependent over the summer on the weather.
“If the weather is terrible, we can’t get clients over there to view properties,” she said.
She said an offer had been made on a Medlands Beach property on Sandhills Road, a two-bedroom beachfront property, but the market has been slower for two properties being sold together on Shoal Bay Road, even though they feature rare access down to the water.