A standout home dating back to 1868, when the first Bohemian immigrants settled in New Zealand, is for sale for the first time in 16 years.
Wech Cottage is one of nine buildings up for grabs at 1212 State Highway 1, in Warkworth, Rodney. Listing agent Katie Boyle said the 2.7-hectare property was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for buyers.
In addition to the historic cottage, the site also houses a modern home, three self-contained living quarters, and several large storage sheds.
Michele Paterson, who has lived at the property for 16 years, decided to list it after her husband died and she began to find the upkeep too much.
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Paterson told OneRoof the property was established in the late 19th century by Johan and Anna Wech, who had travelled to New Zealand from Bohemia, in Eastern Europe, with their five children. Kiwi life was good to them and they went on to have another three at their new home.
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Back then the property was much larger, Paterson told OneRoof. “The Wech farm was massive. It went right up Cowan Bay Road.
“The original part of the cottage was built in 1868. It was just a parlour and a kitchen, and the children used to sleep in the attic. They used to get up to it via a ladder beside the chimney.”
The Weches doubled the size of the cottage and added New Zealand-style verandahs, although the roofline still reflects the family’s Bohemian roots.
Over the years, the Weches built seven more buildings, which remain today. A ninth building, now the main home, was built by Paterson and her late husband. The couple restored the historic Wech Cottage in 2008, insulating it, and added an HRV system and heat pump.
The original colonial buildings that survive are an eclectic mix. “Mr Wech had a lot of workers. He built a bathhouse for the workers and his family [with] a steel bath over a fire. We called it ‘the pub’ when we came here because it had a little bar and a toilet, and we used it for family get-togethers and parties,” Paterson said.
The 2.7ha property is also home to two distinctive red-iron sheds. Photo / Supplied
Another cottage, situated at the entrance to the property, called The Meeting House, was built for gatherings of the local community, said Paterson.
The property has two corrugated iron-red sheds. One was a former schoolhouse, dragged onto the property, according to multiple reports. “The Wech boys used their goats to tow this building all the way up the hill and put it here,” said Paterson.
The Wech family was wild by all accounts.
According to recollections of Wilf Wech, published in LocalMatters, the Wech grandchildren had been too wild for the nuns at Pūhoi and said the classroom was dragged onto their farm so that they could be schooled at home with a teacher visiting three days a week.
Paterson said the property was two minutes closer by car to Warkworth than Pūhoi, however the Wech family had been more closely associated with the latter.
The main house is a modern addition. Photo / Supplied
The other red shed on the property, which can be seen from the gate, was Mr Wech’s woodturning shed, said Paterson. “He had a lathe up there and used it to make bowls and things like that.”
The three self-contained studios include the Meeting House, The Playhouse and Honey Cottage. The Playhouse, which now has a kitchen and bathroom, was built as a playhouse for the Wech family’s two disabled twin daughters, said Paterson. Honey Cottage originally was the Weches’ honey store, but now has a bathroom and outdoor kitchen.
Boyle said Wech Cottage was one of the more unusual properties she had come across in her 16 years in real estate. “It’s been intriguing to hear some of the stories that Michelle's been able to share.”
Paterson said she would be sad to leave. However, when she first moved in there were four people to do the work and it now all fell to her. “If it weren’t for my health and the work involved, I would stay here. I absolutely love it. It’s like a little paradise.”
The property has a CV of $1.475 million, but Paterson wouldn’t be drawn on price. “There is no price on it because it’s so difficult to do so. It’s really going to be up to the market,” she said.
- 1212 State Highway 1, in Warkworth, Auckland, is for sale by deadline closing August 7
