CHALLENGE HOUSE
We explored these buildings a few times in our Urban Explorers days, now its all about Urbex NZ and we've crawled over roof tops and into windows of this massive 6+ level abandoned building which hasn't been used in over 10 years over and over again.
Nathan had this posted on Urban Explorers as follows.
"Challenge house as it is officially known from it's days when it was rustling with people, is a 6 storey high building located in central Auckland. Well known for it's duration of vacancy then come neglect. Although I am sure it has housed many homeless and crack addicts since it's closure in 1998. The extra unique part that makes Challenge house exciting to explore is that it connects onto Link house and Yates building. Yates building was completed around 1913 (with plans to purchase the land as early as 1880), with the pre-existing buildings of Challenge and Link already standing which meant it became a irregularly-shaped, one of Auckland’s earliest steel-reinforced structures, which also seems to have been originally subdivided from the 1880 date."
Nathan had this posted on Urban Explorers as follows.
"Challenge house as it is officially known from it's days when it was rustling with people, is a 6 storey high building located in central Auckland. Well known for it's duration of vacancy then come neglect. Although I am sure it has housed many homeless and crack addicts since it's closure in 1998. The extra unique part that makes Challenge house exciting to explore is that it connects onto Link house and Yates building. Yates building was completed around 1913 (with plans to purchase the land as early as 1880), with the pre-existing buildings of Challenge and Link already standing which meant it became a irregularly-shaped, one of Auckland’s earliest steel-reinforced structures, which also seems to have been originally subdivided from the 1880 date."
UrbexNZ crew have been through many many times with many various explorers, Nathan even organised a meet up one day there, although it did get raided by the law. This location truly is part of the staple diet for any serious Auckland based explorer, and any explorer who happens to find themselves in the area has no excuse to not cruise past and see if the place is open. If its not, come past in a week and it very likely will be.
The buildings have been used in the time since their dereliction as a massive billboard for everyone to practice their spraycan skills, at one point it was set up with a generator and lights as an international graffiti art convention sort of gig, illegally of course.
When the Rugby World Cup came to NZ, the council set about fencing it off and painting the entire outside uniform grey, to give the place a better look for tourists and the like. The Stamford Plaza Hotel across the road has been lobbying to get rid of the place for years, but the guy that owns it is just sitting on it while the land value skyrockets until some developer is willing to buy it and spend the money knocking it down. Lets hope that day doesnt come for a very long time, it would be a shame to lose such an icon of NZ Urbex.
