Just Two Houses, Floating 318km Up NZ's Coast

Publish date
Monday, 21 Dec 2015, 7:23AM

Two seafaring houses arrived in Northland today, after a 48-hour aquatic journey. The houses caused a stir when they were seen floating across the Hauraki Gulf on Friday, shocking Auckland motorists.

The houses - which gave a new meaning to the term "floating mortgage rates" - were transported on a barge from a site at Bucklands Beach in East Auckland by Thomson Towboats.

They floated past the city about 4pm on Friday, providing photo opportunities for people with sea views.


A barge carrying two houses is towed up the Waitemata Harbour. Photo / Stephen Coulthard

Today about 4pm, they arrived at Paewhenua Island, which is connected by a bridge to the mainland near Mangonui. They were about 318km from their initial site.

Lynn Alsop and her husband were driving along the highway on their way home to Kerikeri when they saw people gathered on the side of the road.

"We'd seen the houses out to sea earlier but when we were driving past, we saw people had stopped, so we got out to see what it was," Mrs Alsop said.

"They came so close to the shore. There were guys on the land with chainsaws cutting trees in the way, so they could let the houses in.

"It was quite funny, actually, cars were slowing right down. And the comments were funny; people were like, 'Look, it's a house on a boat'."

Mrs Alsop said the weather was sunny and clear.

"They've been lucky. It's been absolutely beautiful. It was lovely to see them coming up the millpond."

 

On Friday, Orakei resident Stephen Coulthard said he was driving home along Auckland's Tamaki Drive when his 10-year-old daughter, Louise, asked him, "Dad, why is there a house on a boat?"

"I have never seen anything like it," Mr Coulthard said, "[except] on the TV on one of those house-moving shows on Discovery Channel."

Mr Coulthard said lots of people were stopping and pointing at the strange sight.

"It was particularly impressive against Rangitoto in the background. It wasn't just floating down a river or something -- it was in the harbour."

His friend Sasja Stigter was out fishing on a boat and also took a photo of the houses with the Sky Tower in the background.

- NZ Herald

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