{"id":150521,"date":"2025-11-24T03:06:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T03:06:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/150521\/"},"modified":"2025-11-24T03:06:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T03:06:13","slug":"nzs-castle-in-the-clouds-sells-for-3-2m-all-things-property-under-oneroof","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/150521\/","title":{"rendered":"NZ&#8217;s \u2018castle in the clouds\u2019 sells for $3.2m, All things property, under OneRoof"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8211; An iconic hilltop castle in Wellington, once a luxury dog daycare, sold for $3.2 million.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The property, transformed by Brian Willman, includes a medieval castle with extensive features.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Woofington\u2019s, the luxury dog hotel, operated for six years before closing in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>An iconic hilltop castle that was once a luxury doggy daycare for Wellington&#8217;s spoiled canines has sold for $3.2 million &#8211; below its RV of $3.68m.<\/p>\n<p>The distinctive yellow chateau on Hawkins Hill Road, in Brooklyn, had been on the market for sale since March this year, with hopes of reeling in a $4m buyer.  <\/p>\n<p>Wellington developer and financier Brian Willman paid over $240,000 for the property in the late 1990s.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The former Woofington\u2019s hotel, in Wellington, has found a new owner. Photo \/ Supplied\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/5002cc82e216641ab036d1d8bf43fa3a.jpg\" style=\"max-width: 100%;\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"image-caption\">The listing agent told OneRoof earlier this year that the castle could be turned into an ambassadorial residence. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n<p>Back then, the main building was just a large concrete compound, having started life as a radar bunker for Airways Corporation.<\/p>\n<p>Willman turned the bunker into a medieval castle, from which he ran several businesses, including a boutique lodge for lawyers and bankers and later Woofington\u2019s, a luxury hotel for dogs.<\/p>\n<p>Woofington\u2019s ran for six years before closing in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>Discover more:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oneroof.co.nz\/news\/wellingtons-most-photographed-home-shoots-past-its-2m-guide-price-48586\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">&#8211; Wellington\u2019s most photographed home shoots past its $2m guide price<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oneroof.co.nz\/news\/check-out-the-urinals-the-3m-home-with-the-ultimate-dinner-party-conversation-starter-48590\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">&#8211; Check out the urinals! Home with the ultimate party conversation starter<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oneroof.co.nz\/news\/48537\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">&#8211; Inventor&#8217;s &#8216;007&#8217; estate for sale &#8211; submarine test pool included<\/a><\/p>\n<p>New Zealand Sotheby\u2019s International Realty agent Glenn Jones was unable to comment on the sale, but told OneRoof earlier this year that the property offered buyers plenty of scope, and could be turned into a corporate retreat, a wellness centre or even a residence for an ambassador.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s ideal for hosting large parties.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The property had been a labour of love for Willman, he said. \u201cIt\u2019s often called Castle in the Clouds because it\u2019s right up there above it all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The former Woofington\u2019s hotel, in Wellington, has found a new owner. Photo \/ Supplied\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/9fd1fedc1c276c64c593e9eeb2a2cf3f.jpg\" style=\"max-width: 100%;\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"image-caption\">The castle looks out over the capital city and toward Cook Strait. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n<p>The 900sqm castle, which sits on a 4028sqm section, is made from solid blocks and its impressive features include iron chandeliers, timber beams and vaulted ceilings.<\/p>\n<p>An open-plan function space can be found on the upper floor, while the downstairs area houses four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a formal lounge with a woodfire, a billiards room, a workshop, a gym, and a spacious studio.<\/p>\n<p>The New Zealand Herald reported that Woofington\u2019s was raided by armed police in 2019, with officers later \u201ccharging a man after discovering an improvised explosive device\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oneroof.co.nz\/search\/houses-for-sale\/district_wellington-city-wellington-265_page_1\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">&#8211; Click here to find more properties for sale in Wellington<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"&#8211; An iconic hilltop castle in Wellington, once a luxury dog daycare, sold for $3.2 million. &#8211; The&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":150522,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[1258,111,139,69,213],"class_list":["post-150521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-latest-news","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150521"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150521\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/150522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}