One of Whitianga's last remaining historic cottages is for sale for the first time in more than a century.
The three-bedroom, one-bathroom cottage, built in 1888, was the home of the son of one of the area's first European settler's Matthew Creed who arrived at Hot Water Beach on a boat in the mid-1800s.
He married and had six children including his son Adolphus who moved to Whitianga and took ownership of the Owen Street cottage in 1910.
Since then 3 Owen Street has been passed down five generations of the Creed family, first as a family home and later as a holiday home.
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But after more than 110 years the property is now surplus to the family’s requirements, with one of the family members living overseas, and is for sale.
North Real Estate salesperson Elaine Smith said the property was one of the prettiest and oldest homes in the town and had been well-maintained over its long life.
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The cottage had been sympathetically renovated over the years in keeping with the character and was “cosy with a good vibe”, she said.
“It’s lovely. When you step into it you do feel like you are going back in time because of the way they’ve kept it period correct.”
The bed in the master bedroom is even a relic dating back from when the first generation of Creeds lived there.
The existing shed on the site dates back to when Adolphus, who was a Kauri bushman, lived there with his wife and stored his tools in it.
Smith said the heritage-protected cottage was move-in ready, but plans have also been approved by Thames-Coromandel District Council for an extension and additional sleep-out should the new owner want to go ahead with these.
There was also room on the 379sqm section to park a car and boat with the Whitianga Marina just around the corner.
“It would also be a great lovely lock-and-leave.”
The three-bedroom cottage has been sympathetically renovated. Photo / Supplied
The shed dates back to the early 1900s when the original owner stored his tools in it. Photo / Supplied
A fully renovated and restored miner’s cottage of similar vintage on nearby Coghill Street has been running as a luxury guest accommodation for the past seven years.
The Owen Street cottage is one of about a dozen remaining original homes in the town that are predominantly scattered along Owen and Bryce Street.
Having the cottage on the market for the first time in more than a century also gave someone else the chance to own a piece of Whitianga, Smith added.
It has an RV of $530,000, but Smith said market value is north of that. The property is being sold by deadline.
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