Paua house fails to sell

Bluff's paua house has failed to sell at auction.

The property, previously owned by southern identities Fred and Myrtle Flutey, was put to auction in Invercargill yesterday, but bidding did not reach the reserve and a vendor's bid was passed in at $300,000.

The property is controversially being sold by owner Ross Bowen, grandson of the Fluteys, after he stripped the house of a collection of paua shells that drew tourists from around the world.

The house will soon go back on the market at a price yet to be determined.