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HOME & GARDEN TOUR
Step inside some of Wellington’s most beautiful homes, from historic gems and architect-designed masterpieces to lush private gardens, all lovingly opened for one special day.
Every ticket sale helps fund the Wellington City Mission's work. So come for the inspiration, and leave knowing you've made a real difference.
Tickets are on sale now for $119
(Ex GST & booking fees)
MAKE AN IMPACT
Open Wellington's mission is to raise funds to support Wellington City Mission. They enable people and whānau in Wellington to find empowerment, transformation and fullness of life through housing, food, and a range of community support services. Your support changes lives.
LAST YEAR WELLINGTON CITY MISSION HELPED SUPPORT
4,703
32,966
6,283
People supported through their Community Services and Financial Mentoring in 2025
Hot meals served to manuhiri at Whakamaru in 2025
Individuals or families provided with shops in their Social Supermarket in 2025
Properties
PROPERTIES
Roxbourgh House
This is heritage character with modern confidence. Pass through the leadlight entryway, and you're met with relaid mataī floorboards, ornate ceilings and a grand plaster archway. Each room has its own mood: a dramatic teal dining room, a bold wallpapered sitting room with hillside views, an indulgent yet calm bedroom. The kitchen is striking with black timber cabinetry, a marble waterfall island and brass accents, opening to a private deck.
Photo –– Paul McCredie. Architect –– Novak+Middleton
Photo –– Paul McCredie. Architect –– Novak+Middleton
The Shoe Factory
This apartment in the former Hannah Footwear Factory delightfully merges the old and the new. Light cascades through iconic chequerboard windows onto timber floors rich with hard-earned patina. The distinctly modern kitchen contrasts delightfully with the heritage brickwork. Step inside and enjoy the gentle hum and thrum of the city trickling up from laneways below.
Photo –– Nicola Edmonds. Architect –– Claire Bush Architects
Photo –– Nicola Edmonds. Architect –– Claire Bush Architects
Hill House
A dramatic sloping roof shelters a series of cascading spaces. A distant harbour twinkles in the end-of-day sun – filling your view and drawing you forward, down a series of terraced spaces. A kitchen, a courtyard, a bathroom and a living room are all woven together through their shared connection to the hill they call home. This light-filled abode has a timeless quality that speaks to each of the carefully considered design details.
Photo –– Paul McCredie. Architect –– Novak+Middleton
Photo –– Paul McCredie. Architect –– Novak+Middleton
Emney House
Emeny House is all street appeal. This heritage-listed Victorian Villa welcomes you in with a playfully tiled path and expansive double bay windows. Beyond the threshold there is a feast for the eyes. Elaborate plasterwork, embellished wallpaper, commanding archways, plush furnishings, and many many many more tiles.
Photo –– Jane Ussher
Photo –– Jane Ussher
Seatoun Studio
A quiet seaside hamlet overlooking te Whanganui-a-Tara is home to a hidden gem. Cascades of green from a lush garden spill out onto canvas. Every wall is adorned with creativity. Thick daubs of oil paint bring to life flowers in radiant bloom; they capture elusive shimmers of light as they ripple across the water, creating scenes that mesmerise and delight.
Photo –– Shuttercraft
Photo –– Shuttercraft
Sergents Cottage
At a modest 65m2 this home is packed with inventive delights. A wall of rimu sarking from the original bungalow brings warmth to sleeping spaces. A series of battens, painted white, envelop the home with a sense of stillness. A kitchen, compact and concise, offers all that you need and none of what you don’t. A covered deck pulls you out to sea views and salty air. It is a humble cottage powerfully reimagined.
Photo –– Simon Wilson. Architect –– Guy Tarrant
Photo –– Simon Wilson. Architect –– Guy Tarrant
Alington House
This 1960s modernist home draws you in. Every detail is considered. Precise geometric forms contrast delightfully with the rambling bush. The humble materiality of warm wood, earthy brick, and plasterboard frames generous light-filled windows. Culminating in a calm oasis at the edge of the city.
Architect –– Bill Alington
Architect –– Bill Alington
Sar St House
Perched high above the water with views of the valley and harbour sits Sar St House. Blocky and bold, its contemporary form cuts a commanding shape against the hillside. Expansive windows track the sun throughout the day. Outside, native planting hug both hill and house, while fruit trees and a vegetable garden help keep the pantry full.
Photo –– Simon Devitt. Architect –– Parsonson Architects
Photo –– Simon Devitt. Architect –– Parsonson Architects
Stealth Bomber
A secret path leads you up a hundred meandering steps. At the top, you're greeted by a boomerang of black against a shock of green and red pohutukawa. This daring construction claims its space on the hilltop resolutely. It is space built to flex and evolve. At once both expansive and private, it moves between the indoors and the outdoors; it is made for sharing, working, and living.
Photo –– Simon Wilson. Architect –– Patchwork Architecture
Photo –– Simon Wilson. Architect –– Patchwork Architecture
McGregor House
McGregor House is guided by a philosophy of reduction, where unnecessary complexity is stripped away to reveal a calm, expansive interior. This home feels at once generous and intimate—a place where simplicity becomes a form of luxury and where every detail contributes to a quiet, enduring sense of peace.
Photo –– Thomas Seear-Budd. Architect –– Seear-Budd Ross
Photo –– Thomas Seear-Budd. Architect –– Seear-Budd Ross
FAQs
FAQS
November 14th 2026 – staggered starting time from 9:00am to 4:00pm.
You’ll gain access to 8–10 private homes around Wellington. Each home offers a unique design, story and history. Some offer the rare chance to view recent work from some of Wellingtons top architects, interiors and garden designers.
From $119 + GST + booking fees per person.No child or senior discounts.Children under 12 years are not permitted, (due to safety, crowding, and privacy concerns).Please note: tickets are non-refundable.
No. Pets are not allowed on any of the properties (including front lawns or driveways).
A week before the event you will receive an email with the address of your assigned starting location, this is the property you start the tour on. You will also receive a map with the addresses of the other properties on the tour.
Bring your ticket (digital or printed) and photo ID to your assigned starting location.
Upon check-in, you’ll receive:
– A wristband/lanyard – required for entry to each home.
– A shoe bag with your official Open Wellington guidebook and shoe covers.
You must wear your wristband/lanyard at all times.
Volunteers will scan your pass before entry to each home.
Please wear comfortable shoes that are easy to remove. You’ll carry them in your shoe bag when inside homes.Dress for the weather and walking between homes – layers are a good idea.
Please bring only small handbags or lightweight backpacks. Some homes have narrow hallways and delicate interiors, and large bags pose a risk. We reserve the right to inspect bags on exiting a property.
No bathrooms are available inside private homes. Please use public toilets located around the city during your tour breaks.
No eating, drinking, smoking or vaping is permitted on any property or in any garden.
Please do not take photographs or videos inside any home unless signposted or authorised.
Volunteers will collect and log lost property at each home. Lost items can be collected from the Lowe & Co Realty office after the event.
Parking is street parking only. Please:Respect driveways, berms, and no-parking signs.Be mindful of Resident Parking Zones.Walk a short distance if needed – some homes are in high-demand areas.
Transport is not provided, it is a self-drive tour. Carpool if possible to reduce traffic and parking stress, (or better still uber). Each house will have clear Open Wellington signage at the front.
Open Wellington includes a variety of private homes, many with:
Steps, steep driveways, narrow hallways, or multi-level designs.Uneven paths, older flooring, or small entrances, steps to entry.
Because these are private residences, we cannot guarantee full accessibility. If you have specific mobility or accessibility needs, please contact us before purchasing your ticket: office@loweandcofoundation.nzWe’ll advise which homes are most suitable so you can plan accordingly.
Every home has a trained volunteer team, a hazard register, and an emergency plan.Homes have marked exits and designated no-access areas – please respect them.Watch your step indoors – remove shoes and walk carefully in socks or covers and follow all instructions given by volunteers on the day.
Please do not sit on any furniture, open drawers or cupboards, or touch personal items. These are real homes, generously shared by the owners.
Open Wellington is proudly run by the Lowe & Co Foundation to raise funds for the Wellington City Mission. All proceeds of tickets sales are directed to Wellington City Mission helping vulnerable and homeless members of our community. The event will go ahead rain or shine, so bring an umbrella and dress accordingly.
Contact us at office@loweandcofoundation.nz
GALLERY
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