Mission Bay wellness hotel planned by Orca founder Scott Unsworth

The wellness dream began when Scott, 56, knocked down the fence between the two buildings to create more car parking.

“In doing so, I realised just how much potential there was in the land surrounding the existing buildings to connect and bring new businesses into the precinct.”

Scott says their vision will transform the property from simply accommodation into a destination for health, wellness and community.

“The plan is a combination of saunas, cold and hot plunge pools, health and fitness facilities, alongside great food offering healthy, nutritious lunches and dinners, and potentially even a rooftop bar.”

The ivy-clad Patteson, remodelled into one two-storey building under Hildegard’s interior design vision, is a mix of Hamptons chic and tropical luxury. Its eight serviced apartments are led by a four-bedroom on the upper floor, which sleeps up to 13, advertised to rent for $2000 per night.

Three-storey Marau offers five more apartments in a more beach bungalow style, from $250 to $600 per night.

The two properties sit on just under 2000sq m of corner land, one section back from Tāmaki Drive.

Society Insider property sources estimate the land is worth more than $15m and that a five-storey apartment complex on it could sell for well over $50m.

However, the Unsworths’ dream is to create something that complements the accommodation and opens the property to the wider public, offering an affordable and accessible wellness experience.

It’s a natural fit for Scott, who has been involved in the fitness and sports world all his life.

The former champion triathlete launched Orca in 1995 after injury cut short his sporting career. By the Sydney Olympics in 2000, 60% of triathletes were racing in Orca gear, helping the company earn New Zealand’s top design-led business award a year later. Around that time, Scott met Hildegard.

After the 2004 Athens Olympics, where Orca outfitted the New Zealand team, Scott proposed in the Greek islands.

“I had ‘Greece 2004’ engraved inside Hildegard’s engagement ring,” he says. The couple married at Mudbrick Vineyard later that year.

The pair spent the next seven years building Orca from bases in Hong Kong, Auckland and London, resisting outside investment and turning down an approach by New Balance owner, multibillionaire Jim Davis.

In 2007, Spanish cycling powerhouse Orbea began distributing Orca, and four years later the couple struck a licensing deal that allowed them to retain global ownership of the brand.

“Celebrating with my wife that evening, I remember saying, ‘This is going to change our lives forever.’”

With more time on their hands, the Unsworths returned to Auckland where, while renovating a large home in Scott’s childhood neighbourhood of Kohimarama, they spotted the first Mission Bay property.

They found rental income couldn’t justify the purchase prices and the borrowing required.

“The successful model was short-term accommodation,” says Scott.

“What followed was approximately 12 years of buying properties one by one, renovating them, increasing their value and then going back to BNZ to see if we could borrow enough to purchase the next one.

“There was no big investor behind us or an enormous amount of capital available. We simply used the equity we could build, along with the income generated from the properties, to keep moving forward.

“Looking back, it took an incredible amount of grit and determination.”

Scott’s good friend Greg Owen manages Stay Mission Bay and the Unsworths’ 52.5ft luxury power catamaran Savoy, which once hosted pop star Miley Cyrus. As the businesses grew, the pair began discussing the luxury accommodation market.

“Greg and I … thought we could build something we could own and grow together,” says Scott.

Today, Stay Luxe exclusively manages more than 40 high-end properties in Auckland, ranging from $2000 to $20,000 per night, and lists almost another 100 luxury homes and lodges throughout New Zealand. International expansion and a new charter boat to join Savoy are planned for next year.

The Unsworths have two teenage daughters and live on a lifestyle estate north of Auckland, with a three-storey beachfront home in Takapuna that sits in the Stay Luxe portfolio.

RevitaLash black-tie anniversary party

RevitaLash Cosmetics marked its 20th anniversary with a black-tie gala at Casabella in Parnell last Wednesday evening.

Hosted by Kiara Cosmetics founder and RevitaLash Cosmetics New Zealand distributor Annemarie Mason, with general manager Ineke Pronk, guests included leading beauty industry figures, influencers, media personalities and fans of the international brand.

Cote Catering created a menu of beef tartare, smoked chicken and crostini with wild mushroom, followed by a tiramisu. Bespoke cocktails were created to reflect the brand: the Lash Icon, a margarita twist, and the New Muse passionfruit sour. Music was by DJ Ben Parkes.

Guests included About Face founder Marianna Glucina, ed&i founder Edna Swart, Lab Brow Bar founder Penny Mahoney, choreographer AJ Strawbridge, fashion stylist Sarah Stuart, celebrity makeup artist Gui Baptista, and actors Shushila Takao and Moni Meredith.

Ricardo Simich has been with the Herald since 2008 where he contributed to The Business Insider. In 2012 he took over Spy at the Herald on Sunday, which has since evolved into Society Insider. The weekly column gives a glimpse into the worlds of the rich and famous.

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