Pioneer built kauri cottage listed

A classic New Zealand pioneer’s cottage believed to be one of the oldest residences still surviving in the Coromandel Peninsula township of Whitianga - and patiently built with kauri logged from a nearby timber mill at the turn of the last century - has been placed on the market for sale.

Historic black and white photographs show the heritage cottage was once located immediately adjacent to a logging transport route known as the Moewai Bush Tramway which linked Whitianga township to the kauri forest a few kilometres away.

The single-storey cottage for sale is believed to have been owned by one of the workers at the Mercury Bay Timber Company’s kauri mill, and was constructed with wood from the plant to build the dwelling - from foundations and floorboards through to framing, windows and doors. The original kauri is still visible throughout the four-bedroom cottage.

It was common practice during colonial times that staff working at such industrial sites would have been given substantially discounted prices for timber to build the simple cottages they lived in. Often the ‘millers’ as they were known, spent their nights and weekends building their homes from the ground up - helping each other in the process to ensure construction timeframes were kept to a minimum so they could live in the dwelling as quickly as possible.

Set up in the 1880’s, the Mercury Bay Timber Company’s Whitianga mill operated until 1922, employing some 70 men, and dominating a large block of land around the Albert Street/Monk Street/The Esplanade precinct.

At its peak, the heritage suburb in Whitianga known as Campbell Town contained dozens of kauri-built cottages housing staff at the industrialised timber mill. Only a few of the colonial cottages now remain though in Hannan Road just a few hundred metres from Whitianga’s beaches and central retail strip. The workers’ cottage for sale sits in the middle of two other similar period dwellings - making them a landmark for heritage lovers interested in Whitiang’a history.

Proudly connecting the pioneering roots of Whitianga with the vibrant township it is today, the kauri cottage at 13 Hannan Road is now being marketed for sale at auction on March 26 through Bayleys Whitianga. Salespeople Belinda Sammons and Kylie Pullen said the rich-coloured tones of the vintage milled kauri were tastefully displayed throughout all aspects of the dwelling’s various rooms, and evidenced by the leadlight framed kauri front door leading into the main corridor

“The open-plan kitchen/dining room/living room/family room within the Hannan Road cottage in particular profiles the abundance of native timber used in creating this home, and while it is not officially heritage listed as such, the proliferation of timber throughout showcases the building craftsmanship and practices of the time,” Sammons said.

“As far as we can ascertain, the cottage is approximately 115-years-old, and as the cliché says… “they don’t build ‘em like this anymore.” There is even an antique partially-restored cast iron aga stove on show as a feature piece of furniture in the kitchen - framed of course by a glorious kauri fireplace mantel.”

While retaining much of its original timber and pioneer minimalist design character and charm, the Hannan Road home has been modernised through the installation of heat pumps, along with new cabinetry and fittings modelled into the bathroom spaces.

Wrapped around a private paved patio courtyard area for al-fresco dining under a sturdy pergola awning, the cottage’s garage has been converted into a rumpus room/man cave, with separate substantial storage shed space at the rear.

Sitting on some 759-square metres of flat land, the Hannan Road property has a mature garden complete with classic Kiwi kid’s tree house in one of the trees - and with plenty of open space for dropping in a swimming or spa pool to further enhance the outdoor leisure and entertaining amenities.

“Again, harking back to a bygone era when hard-working colonial settlers were very frugal with their living expenses, the sun -drenched fully enclosed back lawn sustains numerous mature apple, Mandarin, feijoa, plum, fig, persimmon, banana, and quince trees whose fruit would have been picked and bottled for domestic consumption,” said Sammons.

Whitianga is the Coromandel Peninsula’s eastern seaboard’s biggest town, and is highlighted in Thames Coromandel District Council’s 2020-2030 Community Plan as being one of the fastest growing towns within its greater administrative area. It is also now firmly established as one of New Zealand’s foremost deep seas fishing venues.

Residential development in the town has boomed over the past decade - largely underpinned by the construction of hundreds of multi-million-dollar luxury homes across the high-end Whitianga Waterways precinct where many residences have their own private jetties and boat ramps at the edge of the back lawn.