Photo Report: The Guy Homestead, Pakuranga - 10th July 2012
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This 114 year old privately owned homestead has been on Real estate listings for over 10 years.
Guy Homestead, also known as Saidia House, was built in 1898. It was originally part of a 210 acre farm and over the years was subdivided into smaller farms with dairy farming ceasing in 1986. Huntington Park resident Graham Guy lived in the homestead from 1923-1928 before his father bought estate land from Guy's Rd to Harris Rd. The other half, from the corner of Botany Rd to the western end of Burswood Rd (not in existence then), was leased and sold to the Shaw brothers in 1938.
Graham's father died in 1956 and his land was later sold for development, including Huntington Park in 1994. Manukau City Council bought the homestead and 2 acres of surrounding land prior to 1983 to extend Ti Rakau Drive. It sold the property in 1997 and since then there have been several owners. The property, near industrial area, Huntington Drive, has many possible uses but has fallen into a desperate state of dereliction, cannot be touched due to Historic Places Trust caveats attached to the house and land, protecting it from being removed and requiring a restoration project must retain its architectural style.
Another covenant restricts the land, zoned residential, from being subdivided and an expensive resource consent process would be needed to change the zoning. The $3.5 million plus GST price tag might seem steep to some but it reflects the commercial nature the surrounding area. The price, alongside the current attached conditions making it "untouchable", would mean that this prime piece of real estate would be somewhat of a "lemon" to anyone willing to purchase.
A beautiful old home stuck in a "Catch 22" situation. We hope the restrictions can soon be lifted before it deteriorates any further and gets to a state of complete disrepair. Guy Homestead needs to be relocated and restored to its former glory so that its past can be appreciated by many more, in the future.
Haunted Auckland entered and documented the house and property with permission in July 2012.
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Update - 12 December 2012
On the evening of the 1st December 2012, a significant fire occurred at the Guy Homestead in Pakuranga which appears to have been deliberately lit. The Haunted Auckland was deeply saddened to learn about the damage to this historic landmark. Shortly after the fire Haunted Auckland was contacted by the New Zealand Fire Service who requested the use of our photographs for their investigation into the blaze.
"On the 1st December 2012 there was a fire at the old Guy Homestead. The fire, which was apparently deliberately lit, caused extensive damage to the building, and its future is in doubt. As an investigator who attended the incident to work out the cause of fire, I used the Haunted Auckland website as part of my research. Then I relied heavily on the photos on this site to give me a clear idea of what the building looked like beforehand, and the brief history of the homestead has given me insight into the history of the property. Mark from Haunted Auckland was very helpful and informative and his assistance, together with his pictures, aided my investigation greatly. Thanks Mark and the team from Haunted Auckland."-- Phil, New Zealand Fire Service Investigator, Counties-Manukau Fire Area
Aside from our investigations into the paranormal, part of Haunted Auckland's mission is the documentation of historic buildings for future posterity. Mark and the team were grateful to be able to assist the authorities in providing useful information about the property in it's prior condition and hope that the Fire Service and Police are able to piece together the events surrounding the blaze and bring those responsible for the destruction to justice.
The following photographs of the damage have been supplied to us by the New Zealand Fire Service:
