$32m Remuera mansion an architectural portal to Europe
You can’t see much from Remuera Rd, but what you can see - well clipped hedges, a steep terracotta tile roofline, and several tall red brick chimneys - is a little bit special, even for a suburb full of special homes.
Step through the gate and your suspicions will be confirmed. This is Guisnes Court, a 1914-built Arts and Crafts mansion in the English Country House-style, designed and built by the country’s foremost proponent of that style, Roy Keith Binney, for the most important woman in his life, his mum.
And let me tell you, it’s a whole lot of house.
"You are in Europe," says agent Terry King, of Remuera Real Estate Register. "Well, put it another way, from the moment you walk in the front door, you don't feel as if you're in New Zealand."
It’s something about the height of the ceilings, and the scale of the rooms, the cut of the mullioned windows, the quality of the materials, that just says balance, and comfort and ease. There’s a formality to the building, too, which King says speaks of good design.
Unlike many modern open plan homes, you’ll also notice this home has plenty of wall space - crucial if you’re a collector or investor in fine art. And let’s face it, if you can afford the NZ$32 million price tag this sumptuous home comes with, why wouldn’t you be?
"The rooms are all perfectly proportioned, which is the power of architecture of that time. Interestingly enough, it takes modern furniture just as well as it would take antiques. The current owners have it furnished with modern furniture and modern art."
The current owners have lived in the property for more than 20 years, and raised their family there. Over the course of 20 years, they have modernised and updated the home, but always kept the heritage of the building at the forefront of their renovations.
Now, they’re spending more time overseas, so have decided to pass the guardianship of their property to someone new.
Built for the whole family, the 987m² home has five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and several outbuildings, including a separate gym, pilates studio, pool house and guest pavilion next to the tennis court. Other amenities include a billiards room, ballroom, and two full bars for entertaining, all sitting on 2561m² of Auckland’s bluest of blue chip roads.
"This house during the course of its life has had famous families own it, like the Nathans, one of the founding families in Auckland.
“There are people of an older age group around Remuera who will have been in that house for special occasions, because it's been the centre of a lot of activity over the years, for functions and events."
"To try and build a house like this today would be a huge exercise, and it would be hugely expensive. You couldn't replace the house for its asking price, let alone buy the land. So the buyer will indeed be someone [...] of substance, who buys it for the uniqueness of it.“
While the Auckland market has shown some signs of coming back to life after a slow first few months of 2025, homes like Guisnes Court exist in a very small, elite market of their own.
According to homes.co.nz, Remuera has a $2.06m median sale price. A few doors down, 542 Remuera Rd, is available to rent for $6000 a week. Homes.co.nz gives that home an estimated sale price of $19.2m.