{"id":443818,"date":"2026-05-25T03:45:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T03:45:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/443818\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T03:45:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T03:45:10","slug":"who-cares-about-tom-cruise-buyer-shrugs-off-stars-connection-to-his-new-off-grid-retreat-all-things-property-under-oneroof","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/443818\/","title":{"rendered":"Who cares about Tom Cruise? Buyer shrugs off star\u2019s connection to his new off-grid retreat, All things property, under OneRoof"},"content":{"rendered":"

– The Bliss family\u2019s off-grid Taranaki retreat was sold to scientist Andrew Robson and his wife Laura.<\/p>\n

– The property\u2019s link to Tom Cruise wasn\u2019t a factor for the new owners focused on sustainability.<\/p>\n

– Robson plans to experiment with wind power and a water turbine at the eco-resilient home.<\/p>\n

The Bliss family\u2019s off-grid retreat in Taranaki has been snapped up by a scientist who doesn\u2019t care all that much about the home\u2019s link to one of the world\u2019s most famous actors.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen 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,\u201d vendor Fraser Bliss told OneRoof<\/a> this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, we have a small claim to fame, that Tom Cruise has had dinner in this dining room. I don\u2019t know how true that is, but I like to believe it\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Tom Cruise in action in The Last Samurai. He filmed the 2003 epic in and around Taranaki. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

However, the Hollywood connection wasn\u2019t a consideration for the property\u2019s new owners, scientist Andrew Robson and his wife Laura.<\/p>\n

The couple had been looking for the perfect home for two years and had almost given up when they came across the Bliss family\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Andrew, who researches experimental off-grid energy systems, had been working in Taranaki for two years but commuting from Christchurch. \u201cWe\u2019d come to the point where we didn\u2019t think we would find the ideal place and then we saw the advert for 602. It ticked every box.\u201d <\/p>\n

Discover more:<\/p>\n

– Ex-All Black Julian Savea opens up – rugby titan on why he’s selling his lifestyle block <\/a><\/p>\n

– ‘I had no backup plan, no family trust’ – agent’s gamble at 25 pays off with $3b in sales<\/a><\/p>\n

– Chateau Tongariro’s future looks hopeful as NZ icon draws local and overseas bids<\/a><\/p>\n

The family\u2019s new off-grid home is the perfect playground for \u201cdabbling\u201d in alternative power sources. It also means they can take \u201ca holistic approach to balancing the eco-system, from planting to the bugs and insects that keep the system ticking over\u201d.<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

He also said the link to Cruise in his new dining room wasn\u2019t a huge consideration.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be honest. The Tom Cruise angle just doesn\u2019t even come anywhere near our side. It\u2019s a nice story, but it\u2019s a beautiful house and Fraser and Victoria [Bliss] have done some amazing work there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The vendors ran their organic food delivery firm, Bliss Box, from the property. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

The Bliss family own organic delivery company Bliss Box, and have sold to move nearer to town for their daughters\u2019 ballet interests. They were happy with the offer, which was $50,000 above the RV. \u201cWe looked at it, and we said, \u2018We would pay that much for it\u2019, so we were happy to accept that,\u201d Fraser told OneRoof.<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is more than just a home; it\u2019s an eco-resilient lifestyle,\u201d Smith said in her listing on OneRoof. \u201cWhether you\u2019re passionate about growing your own food or simply want to live more sustainably, this property delivers.\u201d<\/p>\n

– Click here to find more properties for sale in Taranaki<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"– The Bliss family\u2019s off-grid Taranaki retreat was sold to scientist Andrew Robson and his wife Laura. –…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":443819,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[430,156,1258,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-443818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-latest-news","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443818","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=443818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443818\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/443819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=443818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=443818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=443818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}