Leeston farmers Neil and Sue Mugford converted part of the decommissioned Royal New Zealand Air Force Boeing 727 into a two-bedroom, one-bathroom family home on their Leeston paddock.
The couple moved into the completed plane-house last December, but held open days over King's Birthday weekend to pay homage to the plane's heritage.
NZ7272 was retired at the RNZAF Woodbourne base in 2003 after 22 years of service, notably carrying foreign dignitaries such as the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The front third of the aircraft, including the cockpit, is on display at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand in Wigram.
The only problem was they were still attached to the retired Boeing 727.
He won the $1 reserve Trade Me auction for the airliner, paying a few hundred dollars for the stairs, fuselage and a wing.
"We bought it in July 2019, and with all that what went on in the world and everything else, we finished it, and made it liveable back in December 2023."
Mugford's a mechanic by trade, so set about turning the 10-metre-high fuselage into a practical, liveable space.
"We'll get over this in a couple of days and then decide if I need another project or I need to slow down a bit."
The Mugfords hope their eye-catching aeronautical build will help put Leeston on the map and may even inspire some other plane house creations.
- By Geoff Sloan, made with the support of NZ On Air
