Former nunnery on market
Decades ago nuns roamed the halls of Denise Herbert’s Te Aroha home, now back on the market for a buyer seeking something out of the ordinary.
The former 1970s convent turned bed and breakfast has been Herbert’s permanent residence for 16 years, has a variety of unique features and an estimated $1.5 million price tag.
The former chapel serves as Herbert’s master bedroom and there’s a sacristy a few metres away from a former choir room, creating a sense of sacredness.
“To me it seems normal but then you have the multiple rooms,” Herbert said. “It feels good, there probably is a [spiritual element] for some.”
The expansive 2-wing Burgess St property with eight bedrooms and five bathrooms has served as a B&B in the central Waikato town she said was “short of accommodation”.
The historic establishment that once stood on the Burgess St grounds was rebuilt in 1977. Nuns continued to occupy the living quarters until right before Herbert and her husband purchased it in 2008.
The presbytery establishment was over the fence while the sisters taught at the local school, until the population of serving nuns and priests dwindled over the years.
“It’s not every day that you come across a property like this,” Property Brokers sales manager, Toni Swney said. The religious aspects that would appeal to a very “niche market”.
Prospective buyers willing to pay the estimated $1.5 million price tag for the character home, could settle in a Waikato town with “good old fashioned values“.
“There’s nothing like this.”
It was often Aucklanders and international visitors Herbert saw spending a night in the historic establishment for between $80 and $145.
From the rimu finishings to the oddly paired toilet blocks, Herbert said the convent brought a sense of calm when people came by.
Herbert, despite not being religious, hasn’t shied away adorning the walls with decorative crosses while guests were even treated to a dress-up opportunity if they wished.
“I actually like the fact that people are coming and going and they’re really nice people...I’ve had people wander the streets with the habit on and they like taking a photo with it.”
While Herbert admired the property, she felt it was time to move on as she wants to shift further out into the Te Aroha country.