Comedian Rhys Darby has sold his stately Auckland home for an undisclosed sum.
An auction drew a small crowd of curious onlookers into the Darbys' Grey Lynn backyard yesterday. The house did not sell at the midday bidding but Kellands estate agent Caroline Daniel confirmed a sale was negotiated afterwards.
Darby said he was "super stoked and happy" with the sale of the 106-year-old villa.
About 15 people filled the renovated Edwardian villa's kitchen for the auction, spilling out to its back deck and garden.
Bidding on the house by a woman and man in their mid-40s started at $1.8 million but remained below the reserve.
The property has a 2014 capital valuation of $1.87 million, but Ms Daniel said she was unable to give any details about what it fetched.
Darby and his wife, Rosie Carnahan Darby, have owned the house, which overlooks Ponsonby Central, since 2009, and lived there with their sons Finn, 9, and Theo, 5.
The two-storey villa, with high stud and polished wood flooring, was completely renovated by the pair over the past five years.
This included the addition of an en suite and a guest bathroom upstairs, alongside the original four bedrooms.
The house, which sits on a 480sq m section, also has three living areas, a media room, and three bathrooms.
"It's the creative input and the thought that went into this, and how we've made it our own," Darby told the Herald.
The Kiwi actor, writer and comedian is best known in New Zealand for his portrayal of band manager Murray Hewitt in the television series Flight of the Conchords.
The Darby family plan to move to the United States.
8 Richmond Rd
• CV: $1.87 million.
• Rates: $4748.72 (2015/16)
• Bedrooms: 4
• Living rooms: 3
• Bathrooms: 3
• Media Room: 1
• Storeys: 2
• Land area: 480sqm