Dutch couple's significant art collection gathered over 37 years to be auctioned in Tauranga

Niki 'Koula' Vellinga.

From their rural house in the foothills of Whakamarama, west of Tauranga, a wealthy Dutch couple spent 37 years gathering art from around the world.

Their little bungalow was transformed into a trove of exotic figurines, Thai furniture, Persian rugs and more than 300 paintings and sculptures.

The Vellingas dance in their home

Now, with their passing, more than a hundred of those paintings are about to go under the hammer.

Theo and Niki "Koula" Vellinga's art has been described by an auctioneer as "one of the most varied and comprehensive private collections in New Zealand" and the most significant private collection ever to be auctioned in the Bay of Plenty.

The Vellingas emigrated from Holland to the Bay of Plenty in 1977. They both died aged in their late 80s - Theo in 2005, and his wife in 2014.

Much of their collection was exhibited at Tauranga Art Gallery from December until earlier this month.

Among the paintings to be auctioned is Peter McIntyre's Gondolas in Venice.

Auction organiser Grant Bezett said that other paintings included three by Raymond Ching and several others by prominent local artist Arthur Dagley.

Some of the paintings were European, but most were New Zealand pieces from the 19th to 21st centuries.

Mr Bezett expected some of the paintings to sell for a few hundred dollars, with the more sought-after items reaching thousands of dollars.

"Koula was a very important and high-profile collector," Mr Bezett said of the auction's significance. "I've been around 40 years, and nothing in Tauranga comes close to this".

The Vellingas had no children, and their closest surviving relatives live in Holland.

Auction: The Koula Collection

What: 109 paintings by Peter McIntyre, Raymond Ching and others
Where: Baycourt, Tauranga
When: Monday, 3 April, 6.30pm-9pm

Peter McIntyre's 'Gondolas in Venice'