A dome-shaped home with history has hit the market for sale in New Zealand’s cheapest town.
The unusual-looking three-bedroom property at 27 Pitt Street, in Runanga, Greymouth, has a price tag of $390,000, comes with a turret and sits on a quarter-acre section.
It was built more than 40 years ago by coal miner and amateur historian Jack Ewen, whose attention to detail and insulation has kept heating bills at a minimum.
Ewen’s son Peter, a West Coast councillor and chairman of the West Coast Electric Power Trust, told OneRoof: “Jack was very conscious of maintenance because he lived by himself. He had [previously] lived in a normal house but was forever fixing things, and painting it.”
Start your property search
Discover more:
- 'Auction of the year' - buyers pay more than $500,000 above CV after eight-way bid battle
- Auckland's 'worst' mortgagee sale a triumph - fire-damaged house sells for $430,000
- Up for grabs: $20m-plus Queenstown estate where Richie McCaw tied the knot
Dome homes were popular in New Zealand in the 1970s. Ewen, who died aged 92 in 2023, commissioned local builder Tom McLean to build his one.
“Tom had built some down in Hokitika, but they weren’t as good as Jack’s,” said Peter. “Jack’s was the best one I’ve seen.”
Peter told OneRoof he had asked his father why he chose to live in an igloo. “I think he might have been a bit forward-thinking, with climate change. The dome was like a chilly bin in reverse. It’s very, very warm. You don’t have to have the heat pump on very long,” he said.
Buyers will be surprised by the curved walls - and how well insulated the home is. Photo / Supplied
“It was polystyrene, with rebar over the top and netting, and then they splash it with the plaster to get the roughcast.”
Peter was at boarding school when the igloo was built but managed to help with the decoration work. “I have done a lot of the decorating inside from the get-go and painting outside,” he said.
His father added a turret to the house following a big win at the TAB in the early 1990s. “He had [the extension] at the front architecturally designed in ‘94. He wanted more room and to catch the sun,” Peter said.
Most of the home’s internal features are original, which will appeal to buyers looking for a slice of late 1970s architecture.
Connected to the central dome is a turret, which faces the street. It was added in the 1990s after a big TAB win. Photo / Supplied
The view from the turret. The late owner wanted a place that caught the sun. Photo / Supplied
Fortunately for Ewen, he had an electrician and a plumber as grandchildren, who ensured the home was well looked after. “The maintenance has been kept up over the years and it has paid dividends because it still looks in tip-top shape,” said Peter.
Ewen was heavily involved in the Runanga community, said Peter. He was especially fond of Runanga’s sporting heroes, 50 of whom represented New Zealand in their chosen disciplines. “He lived and breathed Runanga. He was a life member of the Runanga Workingmen’s Club.”
The tiny settlement of 1500 people has produced rugby league players, boxers, swimmers, football players, and an All Blacks manager John Sturgeon. “It’s quite an impressive thing for a small town or Runanga,” said Peter.
Ewen also wrote both history books and novels. He published a novel, Far From the Sun in 1966, submitting the hand-written manuscript about miners to Whitcombe & Tombs (later Whitcoulls), which forwarded it to London for publication.
The listing agents for Ewen’s home, Levi and Rob Maskill, of Property Brokers, told OneRoof there had been strong interest in the property since it hit the market on July 22. Both locals and North Islanders were drawn to the unusual design.
“It’s unique. There are very few [dome] properties on the coast. There is one other one in the Grey District and one down in Westland,” Levi said, noting that the home was a little “out of the box” for Runanga, with houses in the settlement mainly coal mining cottages and bungalows.
The agents’ listing notes that the property is close to great walks, beaches, lakes and the Coast Road. “Outdoor enthusiasts will find themselves in a dream location. A short drive into Greymouth township ensures that all amenities are within reach, making day-to-day living a breeze.”
The latest OneRoof house price figures show Runanga is New Zealand’s cheapest real estate location. The town’s average property value is $278,000 – less than a tenth of what it cost to buy a home in the country’s most expensive suburb, Herne Bay.
- 27 Pitt Street, in Runanga, Greymouth, is for sale for $390,000
