Biggest National Charity House Tour Returns To Christchurch

Media Release January 31, 2013

Biggest National Charity House Tour Returns To Christchurch

A selection of standout homes, including one of Christchurch’s newest, will open their doors for the country’s biggest national charity house tour in March, as the NZ House & Garden Tours return for the fifth year.

The 2013 tours will make a welcome return to Christchurch city (March 22) after a two-year gap. (The 2011 event was due to take place two weeks after the February earthquake and was cancelled, and last year a rural Canterbury tour was held.) The tours will also be taking place in Nelson (March 15) for the very first time and return to Wellington City (March 1) and Auckland (March 8).

The NZ House & Garden Tours give you the chance to take a peek inside over 40 of the country’s loveliest homes and gardens, all in aid of the Cancer Society of New Zealand and Look Good Feel Better. This year’s tour hopes to push the total funds raised for the two charities, since the event’s inception in 2009, close to $1 million.

In Christchurch, this year’s tour will unveil for the first time some new homes built following the quakes and some spectacular heritage homes that have been brought back to life.

“We’re reclaiming our city,” says one of the homeowners, who has recently undertaken a new building project in Christchurch’s blue zone on TC3 land (considered susceptible to liquefaction in future earthquakes).

The owner’s previous house on the same site – a fully renovated art deco home – was destroyed in the February 2011 quake. Rather than moving location, the homeowners wanted to rebuild on the same site, despite strict zoning regulations specifying special foundations, because they love the central city location.

The stylish new townhouse will be finished just in time for the tours, giving the public a glimpse of what the future holds for homes in the city.

It’s the city’s past that is celebrated in two other homes that will be opening their doors. The public will get to take a special peek inside two heritage homes that have been lovingly restored following the earthquakes.

NZ House & Garden editor Sally Duggan says the return to Christchurch is an exciting homecoming for the NZ House & Garden Tours. “Christchurch has always been a stalwart on our tour programme because there are so many exceptional properties in the city,” she says.

“We’ve had a great response from Christchurch homeowners, many of whom have had their homes damaged or destroyed, and have had to start from scratch, yet are still willing to help out. In many ways this tour is a tribute to the city’s resilience, as well as a peek into its future homes, which are a stylish mix of old and new.”

For the first time, Nelson (March 15) will host its own NZ House & Garden Tour on Friday March 15, featuring some of the region’s outstanding private homes, many never before open to the public. The tour includes 11 homes that embrace the region’s dramatic landscape and environment both in Nelson city and the surrounding countryside.

After a two-year break, the tours also return to Wellington city (March 1), exploring homes in Seatoun, Thorndon, Mt Victoria and Kelburn, demonstrating the clever, quirky, artistic style and use of space that typifies homes in the capital. Tour-goers will also have the chance to visit Government House. In Auckland (March 8), homes in the central and eastern suburbs, from Herne Bay to Glendowie, will be opening their doors, showing the extreme diversity of style and setting in city living.

This unique fundraising event raises valuable funds for the Cancer Society of New Zealand and Look Good Feel Better to help reduce the incidence and impact of cancer as well as promote the confidence and well-being of women undergoing treatment. All proceeds are allocated to the six regional divisions of The Cancer Society of New Zealand and the regional branches of Look Good Feel Better, according to where the ticket purchasers live. This allows everyone who supports the event to help people affected by cancer in their own community.

Following sell-out events in 2012, this year’s ticket sales are limited, so get in quick. Tickets are now on sale from ticketmaster.co.nz

Wellington Friday March 1
Auckland Friday March 8
Nelson Friday March 15
Christchurch Friday March 22
Tickets: $65
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.co.nz, 0800 111 999
Transport: Self-drive
More information: www.nzhouseandgarden.co.nz

ENDS

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