Rats have reportedly started to infest west Auckland homes abandoned due to being red-stickered after the city's anniversary weekend flooding. Now, the landmark has been officially deemed dangerous.Stuff is New Zealand's largest and most popular news site.With more than 500 journalists spread from Northland to Southland, we cover breaking news, politics, business, sport, crime, the environment, health, education, home and property, food, lifestyle, entertainment, weather, travel, technology, motoring, farming and much more.As well as covering the stories of the day, we specialise in investigative journalism, opinion and analysis, and long-form writing and visual storytelling. As a last resort, the council can prosecute an owner, however, that is rare. I have a facebook page that I just started to advertise houses for to sell/rent/buy property New Zealand. On a short Sunday morning road trip back from filming the previous day in Hamilton, I decided to pop in and see if I could get permission to enter and photograph this cute old home in the Huntly township that I have been seeing on my journeys through the years and always wondered about. The run-down kitchen of a vacant estate house in Papakura. Mum and dad just wanted to pack up and leave. All Rights Reserved. Urban exploring is all about abandoned places. "From that I decided I should start documenting this as we never know how much longer they will be around for.". 1920-1988. [removed] acid-nz 5 yr. ago. But just sold for a massive $2.2m. Derelict buildings had a sense of "desperation" about them, he said. But the queue for them keeps getting longer. He wasnt concerned about the prospect of new houses being built on the land, so long as they didnt disturb his view of the Waitemat, which he didnt believe would happen. In time nature starts to claim them back, and often they fall victim to vandalism and graffiti in their own beautiful way.". IMPORTANT: We do not condone or encourage the breaking in and entering of secure buildings. Strangely compelling. Hi Mark, My name is Rachel, It turns out that Richard Kellern is my Great Great Grandfather on my Fathers side, you mentioned that you had some pictures of him in front of the House. Dilapidated tennis court nets $2.21 million at auction. 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"No one wants to pay more for what they presume is going along just fine because their lives are okay. Abandoned asylums and hospitals have a tense vibe, urban explorer Daniel says. Category: Abandoned Buildings From time to time, often with the permission of the owners or trustees, we gain access to abandoned or derelict properties to photographically document the interior and exterior. White Island Mines New Zealand's only active marine volcano, which last erupted in August 2013, can be found about 30 miles off the east coast of the North Island in the Bay of Plenty. 15-08-2014, 01:28 PM. The house Raymond and his foster father built on the land was the first to be built on that side of the street, Michelle said. Inside, its not clear what state the house is actually in. Don't even get me started on the amount of amazing old architecture rotting around the country which is owned by church groups.". He said many people had enquired about the property, joking that if he had a dollar for every time someone asked, hed be able to buy it himself. Something compelled him to keep at it though and, feeling these snapshots of often-undocumented elements of New Zealand history deserved a wider audience, he asked the friend who runs the Forgotten NZ Facebook page if he would share some of his pictures. There are many more houses such as these waiting to be discovered. Residents spoken to on the street spoken to by Stuff, many of whom are renters or living with flatmates, were also curious about it. Empty homes are a divisive issue. Frozen in time: An abandoned prison captured on a road trip to Wellington. Admission is free. The kitchen of a large West Auckland house. A large number of. "I felt very cold, it was just a very uneasy feeling. Cynthia Margaret ( Peg ) Lynch. Economist Tony Alexander said there was "minimal chance" of an empty homes tax arriving in New Zealand. A villa in Ponsonby which neighbours say has been left deliberately empty for a decade - while racking up capital gains. I have been a mad researcher of everything Paranormal, Extraterrestrial and Crypto-zoological, since early childhood. Nestled in a row of grand, architecturally-designed properties on an idyllic Northcote street overlooking the Waitemat Harbour and Auckland cityscape, is what appears to be a jungle. While an empty homes tax has support in some quarters, sceptics doubt it would be well received by the Kiwi public, which has a high volume of real estate investors. It still had the old furniture. An abandoned house near the Waitkere Ranges in Auckland still has a lot of its furniture. The high volume of unused homes comes as rental prices continue to skyrocket. The property is situated at State Highway 3, Piopio. Crow said homeowners would accept a "pushed-through" empty home tax at ratepayer level, like the Auckland bed-tax. Do you live near an abandoned property? In the city worst affected - where an average house price of over $1m has seen it ranked the fourth least-affordable city in the world - some sit empty and unmaintained. Old Huia Dam aka The Nihotupu Auxillary Dam. Stepping inside was like travelling through a "time portal", he said. Cool thank you. Sometimes sheltering livestock, sometimes hay barns;usually they just sit there empty and falling apart. A neighbour, who did not want to be named so as not to upset the owner, describes it as a prime piece of real estate thats been overgrown for years. Thanks. Stuff has previously reported on Aucklands mysterious million-dollar dumps, including several which are publicly owned. Take a stroll around your neighbourhood one evening and you might not even notice the overgrown lawns and drawn curtains. Theres a mix of modern and original homes on Northcotes Ocean View Rd, but theres one unusual plot of land featuring a dilapidated tennis court thats set to be built on for the very first time. Others think landlords should do what they want in a free-market economy. A piano inside a deserted Glenfield property. She didnt mind its state of the property, but felt upset about those who did complain because they had chosen to live in the neighbourhood. West Auckland abandoned, red-stickered houses reportedly draw rat infestation. I have a few abandoned houses that I posted up that have looked empty for awhile or in need of a makeover. Her mother had been living there, but she is no longer independent. Because we will get nowhere if we don't.". Sackville St resident John Glass said the property added character to the area. Many of the vacant properties are believed to be "lock and leave" apartments, which owners purchase and leave empty to cash in on capital gains. But Ive never seen anyone walk in there [and] never seen anyone walk out of there.. Cora was the youngest Daughter of Richard Skellern. Your email address will not be published. Harley access buildings off-limits to most through demolition contacts and, occasionally, trespass. Land that is close to the central city or has a good view is always going to retain its value no matter what the dwelling on the land looks like.. The teams photographs have been used in the past as evidence in insurance cases, Fire Service investigationsand fornews media coverage. He was one of a growing number of urban explorers in New Zealand. It has been empty for a year. It soon became the neighbourhood hub, where all the kids would come to play tennis and four square and ride on their bikes. Save my name, email, and site URL in my browser for next time I post a comment. Tell us more by emailing caroline.williams@stuff.co.nz. Hi was wondering if someone can please give me the road where this house is. The figure includes homes with no current. The secretive world of urban explorationreceived attention in 2014 when photos emerged from inside the ruined Christchurch Cathedral, taken by a group that identifies itself asUrbexCentral. "I first started entering these places just out of curiosity and a place to hide from the outside world, but began to see a beauty which others may not," he says. Hi everyone, glad to be apart of this exciting forum. On an expensive, popular street in Ponsonby, one villa has been vacant for 10 years. Extra care and safety precaution was taken due to the derelict state of the house. risen from 6.6 per cent to 7.3 per cent of the city's private dwellings, 'Lock and leave' apartments blamed for high number of empty homes in Auckland CBD, Premium - National blames 'state house for life' policy for growing waiting list. With contacts in the demolition business, Harley is able to access many sites off limits to the general public and, while he typically seeks permission from a building's owner before entering, he admits he sometimes trespasses. Buy & Hold Property Investor The problem isn't confined to Auckland. The 28-year-old was viciously assaulted in Beach Haven, which is where he lived. "He wasn't keen, so I decided I would start a page so my friends and close circle could see my shots and follow my journey. But behind a Sylvan Ave garden so overgrown, that from the street its hard to tell a house is even there, is a three-bedroom property valued at $1.73m. Russells most treasured memory was when her parents and younger brother, Grant, would play tennis after dinner each night during summer. Harley says he's come across so many abandoned pianos on his adventures he could dedicate a book to them. Its quite rumpty and I like it, he said he didnt mind it had been left to perish as it added character to the area. So if you want results from a professional targeted property locator, click below. Most of them were in northern beach suburbs and Waiheke Island, which led the company to conclude they were holiday homes and baches. Copyright 2011-2021 Haunted Auckland. I think someone shared an album and the rest is history.". When travelling around the back roads of New Zealand you will often see abandoned old villas and farmhouses. The. Woods said the Government remainedunconvinced about the merits of an empty homes tax. Slowly crumbling, trees growing through the middle, returning the property to the elements. A neighbour thought the inside was graffitied. Economist Tony Alexander said there was "minimal chance" of an empty homes tax arriving in New Zealand. There is also a painting at the Kimihia rest home of this house in all its glory and I have a pencil drawing of the house on my Lounge room wall. "There's just something special about standing in a building which may be over 100 years old and picturing what it was like in its prime". Russell said she hoped whoever bought the property would build something nice on it. Property Trader (Renovator/Speculator/Developer). But there are also standalone homes and luxury mansions dotted around the city which are being left vacant. A retro standing ashtray was still placed between two chairs in what looked like a lounge with large windows. For Harley, standout experiences have included exploring McLean's Mansion, a category one-listed heritage building in Christchurch badly damaged by the earthquakes and vandals, and former Catholic girls' boarding school Erskine College in Wellington, demolished to make way for 96 townhouses. "He just didn't want the hassle - of filling the place, doing the maintenance. Photographing New Zealand's derelict and abandoned buildings Lorna Thornber 07:53, Aug 27 2019 Growing up in Muriwai on Auckland's wild west coast, Harley* and his mates were always on the. Investigating Ghosts, Cryptids, UFOs, Urban Legends and Forgotten Histories of Aotearoa. The problem isn't confined to Auckland. Forgotten NZ. Property inventories were down 24.2 per cent compared to the same time last year, which meant buyers were more likely to consider buying houses to do them up, or demolishing to replace with multiple new homes. I got excited to see the original family home still existed, unfortunately, looking at google earth, it looks like it is now gone, although I still plan to do go and have a look, just in case there is something left. But it could be complicated by privacy concerns, because the plan would require utilities companies to find and contact the owners of homes which are not using any power or water. He said New Zealanders were "fearful" of discussing tax. My Dad, Garth never saw the house, which was a shame. "There was one house which gave me a really bad vibe and I couldn't wait to leave. One of the best websites cataloging abandoned houses in New Zealand is Forgotten NZ. According toTradeMe's Rental Price Index, the nationwide weekly rent was up 4.2 per centyear-on-year in December, with demand up 17 per cent. He also enjoys wandering around St Stephen's, a Mori boys' boarding school in Bombay which closed in December 2000 amid concerns about finances, performance and a history of violence but is set to reopen in 2020. It was 1 of the houses in wanted to photograph but never did sadly. Five sections in Ohai and Nightcaps, with a total rateable value of $103,000, are on the list. There's a creepy looking house at about 252 Puhinui Road in Papatoetoe that's abandoned/burnt out. * Harley preferred not to provide his surname. The display has been unveiled at Alberton, a heritage property in Mt Albert, as part.