Hotchin in sun, neighbours in hell

Work on Mark Hotchin's Paritai Drive home is suspended. Photo / Greg Bowker

Mark Hotchin has flown his personal trainer from Auckland to Hawaii to play tennis, teach him how to surf and to help improve his golf swing.

The Hanover co-founder is staying at his holiday hideaway on the Pacific island - avoiding anger over stalled building work at his sprawling Paritai Drive mansion.

And the Herald has learned he has splashed out money to fly his personal trainer to be with him. The trainer works at Parnell gym Boxing Alley, which Mr Hotchin part-owns.

Photos on the trainer's Facebook page give a glimpse of Mr Hotchin's luxurious getaway spot in Hawaii.

It is understood the trainer is staying there for three months. He is not the first visitor - Sally Ridge and her children were reportedly staying with the Hotchin family last month.

While staying in Hawaii the Hotchins also have a local yoga instructor come to the house twice a week, and a nanny looks after the children six days a week.

Back in Auckland yesterday, the Hotchins' $30 million Orakei house, normally busy with workers on a Monday morning, was silent.

A slimy swimming pool at the front of the huge site has cracked and missing tiles. It is home to a collection of rubbish such as plastic mugs floating on the green, scum-covered surface.

The twin-gabled house - which is to have a 25m weir pool, tennis court, twin-vehicle entranceways and series of water features - is owned by the former Hanover Finance co-owner, who copped criticism last year at investor meetings. Some of that centred on the house project which he said he was compelled to finish.

One of the giant replanted palms, standing sentry either side of his mansion, is shedding a shrivelled brown frond.

The only sign of life about noon was a lawnmower on the park opposite the house.

Neighbours in Tuhaere St this week complained about the development, saying their views were blocked and their houses devalued.

Subcontractors' signs remain on the front fence alongside 56-58 Paritai Drive but the main silver and brass double-gates are firmly padlocked.

The Auckland City Council's file on the property shows various planning and technical issues.

Before permission was granted, plans for the monster house on three of Auckland's most valuable sites had to overcome several challenges: the mansion has been built in a high-wind zone on a sloping site which has unstable soil conditions so engineers have done a considerable amount of work. Planners have also been busy.

Staff at Mr Hotchin's planning firm, Green Group, raised issues about changes which were made to the design of the house after construction was well under way and queried whether an official was reading the correct plans.

Nesh Pillay, Green Group senior planner, said yesterday that all the correct consents had been obtained and her firm had now finished work on the file.

Mr Hotchin's resource consent still has some years to run before it expires.

A council spokesman said the consent was valid for at least a further two years so there was no rush to either continue or resume work for fear that planning permission was about to lapse.

He said although the house was huge, the council had not treated Mr Hotchin any differently from other applicants for planning permission.