Locals saved this 170-year-old house from the tip. Now it’s for sale

A cottage in New Zealand is on the market for the first time in two decades. 

The 1850s weatherboard house is the oldest building in the town of New Plymouth, with origins that stretch back over 170 years. 

But if it was not for the efforts of locals, the cottage might not be standing today. 

In 1975, the local council announced plans to demolish the house to make way for an electric substation. 

“The house is falling apart and has reached the end of its useful life,” the town clerk told the Daily News in July 1975. 

But the demolition never took place. 

In 1977, a company called Technic Properties were granted permission to buy the cottage and move it across town. 

They enlisted the help of a local removalist to load the building onto a truck and drive it to a new location five kilometres away. 

According to newspaper reports at the time, telephone and power lines had to be disconnected to allow the eight-metre-tall building to wind its way through the streets. 

The house still stands today at its second location on Karina Road.

It has recently been listed for sale with a registered valuation of $750,000, according to OneRoof. 

The three-bedroom, one-bathroom home is brimful of character, with buttercup-yellow windows and a scalloped roof. 

Inside, sash windows bring in plenty of natural light. 

There is a cosy farmhouse kitchen with timber cabinetry and a snug, carpeted living room.

In classic cottage style, the bedrooms are nestled under the sloping eaves.

“Feel a tingle of excitement as you wander up the leafy drive to discover a rare surviving fragment of early settler times,” the listing by Harcourts reads. 

“Don’t miss your chance to own this one-of-a-kind home and add your name to the history books.”