Chance for public peek at Castle before major work

Woodlands, or the Castle, is in for a sympathetic makeover.

A public peek inside one of Auckland's strangest and most controversial houses is planned early next month.

The Castle on the side of Mt Victoria in Devonport is being opened to ticket-holders on a March 5 fund-raising tour.

The historic house has made headlines for years, particularly around 1998 when former owner Dan Holloway struck a controversial deal to allow Vodafone to install a cellphone site inside.

That raised the ire of Devonport Primary School and heritage campaigners and sparked a national debate about the safety of cellphone sites.

Nine years later, Mr Holloway planned huge changes to the listed house known as Woodlands, thought to have been built around 1885, although he never went ahead with the alterations.

About a year ago, Devonport businesswoman Charmaine Barnett bought the huge decaying house for $3.2 million.

She has just negotiated to terminate Vodafone's 20-year lease early and says all the transmission equipment will be removed in April.

Vodafone's equipment, in metal boxes on a wall inside the front door and directly above in a locked cupboard about the size of a single wardrobe upstairs, will go.

Ms Barnett, who described the equipment in a house as absurd, said she had engaged legal experts to argue the case for early lease termination.

This had taken some time to complete but had been resolved.

A sympathetic restoration of the house will then begin and she said she would allow people to see inside it for the first and last time next month.

Verandas which were enclosed many years ago on the northern front will be opened but no internal walls will be demolished, Ms Barnett said.

More recent alterations at 34 Mays St, including construction of a wooden lean-to and a staircase leading to the roof, would be demolished.

People would be surprised by the size of the house, "which is much smaller than they think", and its state "because they think it's faded glory and in fact it's pretty bare", she said.

Ms Barnett said she supported the tour being organised by Devonport Heritage and the Masonic Friendly Society, which is trying to save the 144-year-old Masonic Hotel on the waterfront at Devonport.

Proceeds from $45 tickets available at Paradox Bookshop will help fund Environment Court action against changes to the hotel.

Tour 10am-4pm on March 5, email tickets@masonicfriendlysociety.org or visit Paradox Bookshop, Victoria Rd, Devonport.