‘I collected it”: Peter bought this run-down riverside NZ cottage for nostalgia

When Peter McGregor bought a derelict cottage near a riverbank in New Zealand, the purchase meant more to him than timber and nails.

It was 2020 and the retired painter acquired the two-bedroom home at 11 Waitawheta Road in Waikino – a small town in the country’s North Island – for nostalgia, OneRoof reported.

Years earlier, McGregor had lived next door to the home with his cat and got to know the owner of number 11.

The neighbour had stepped in to feed McGregor’s cat whenever he was out of town for work.

This meant every Friday evening he visited his neighbour to retrieve his cat. The neighbours would spend hours chatting over drinks.

“I would end up coming home plastered because he would go ‘Just have a drink, just have another one,” McGregor told the publication.

Then, McGregor sold up and moved on from Waitawheta Road.

Years passed before he would return to the area best known for its proximity to the Ohinemuri River and Hauraki Rail Trail.

When he noticed the Hauraki District Council had listed his neighbour’s house for sale, he felt compelled to save it from being demolished.

McGregor had much experience flipping houses, yet, the reality of his purchase hit hard.

The home had no plumbing, kitchen, no ceiling in some rooms and was missing doors.

After repairing the leaking roof and gutters, he faced the larger clean up of belongings in the home. The neighbour hadn’t taken anything with him.

McGregor planned to renovate the home, but the finished remodel never eventuated.

It wasn’t from a lack of want, but for someone in his 60s, age caught up to him.

“I love the house, but I’m just a hoarder really. I collected that house,” he said.

McGregor is now selling the house with Raine & Horne agent Richard Jordan. 

Jordan is marketing the property as “rare, remarkable and riverside”.

“Located on an amazingly spacious parcel of non-covenanted land stands this somewhat derelict historic cottage ready for renovation or redevelopment,” the listing reads.

“Sitting privately above the magnificent Ohinemuri River and Hauraki Rail Trail this is truly a rare opportunity to secure a very special slice of history and is likely to attract interest from both developers and private investors. There’s trout fishing and cycling at your doorstep plus a just short stroll to the iconic Waikino Tavern.”

The property has a reserve value of NZ$475,000 or $432,466.