A bush-clad Banks Peninsula bolthole owned by a famous Lyttelton artist is on the market, complete with artworks painted directly onto the walls.
The modest bach at Wainui on Banks Peninsula will go under the hammer in late May.
But along with two bedrooms, one bathroom, a potbelly stove and just over 800m2 of land, the bach features Hammond's signature hybrid human-avian figures and other flora and fauna daubed onto walls and even the central ceiling beam, as well as a palette of long dry paint.
Olivia McLeavey, whose family gallery in Wellington represented Hammond since 1987, said painting directly onto the walls was common practice for the artist.
"Some of the paintings that he painted there have obviously been sold through the gallery and various places.
"Some of them have been removed, some of the panelling and kept by the family.
"But there are still some really interesting dynamics works that are sold with the bach because he painted directly on the walls."
While McLeavey wasn't aware of other artists doing that in Aotearoa, Bloomsbury Group artists, such as Vanessa Bell, were well known for similar practices in early 20th-century London.
"That was something they did, they adorned their private homes with these very beautiful works.
"And it was certainly something Bill always did. Other houses he's lived in that I visited, on numerous occasions I've witnessed him painting directly on the wall.
"He didn't like white walls, he wasn't a beige person."
McLeavey said Hammond had a long running connection to Wainui, which is about an hour and half from Christchurch.
"He's a South Island boy and then from Lyttelton. But as a child, he attended the YMCA camp at Wainiu many times and had really fond memories of it, so when he was in a position to purchase a bach ... that was the place that he wanted to base himself."
The rudimentary bach is no surprise for McLeavey, who said Hammond was "a humble person."
"He wasn't caught up with the trappings of the material world or material wealth, and to escape to a haven that was very much a part of - or as close to - that natural world as he could be, I think it gave him a lovely sense of solace."
"If you look at the bach and the listing, you can see it's a long, long way from the cut and thrust of the art world. That allowed him to really focus on the natural world and immerse himself in that very special flora and fauna of the area.
"It was really an 'oh my god moment' when we walked in and saw the artwork on the walls, it's something to behold," said real estate agent Chris Mangels.
"Essentially you're buying a Hammond and getting a free bach."
Mangels said purchasers may be interested in renovations, which could be done around the artworks.
"You absolutely couldn't get rid of it, but the house is definitely in the position that you could do it up around the art, which is quite unique and quite cool. It's almost like Banksy doing graffiti on your front fence."
"I wouldn't remove the central beam."
The 42m2 house, set on just over 800m2 of land, is relatively remote and surrounded by bush, and of course, birds.
Mangels described it as a "quintessential bach", and Wainui as "a pretty off-the-radar location."
Mangels said there had been a lot of enquiries as soon as the property was listed this week, but that it was too soon to say if there was interest from any organisations hoping to preserve the property as a museum or artists retreat.
"It's early days, but it is a little bit of a time capsule."
He encouraged people to come through "even if they're just art lovers."
"It's just a really quaint little home in a really special environment. I can see why it would be an inspiring place to work from."
