Unique coastal Whanganui property once part of Hislop estate

The home on a 1.63-acre rural block at 854 Rapanui Road in Whanganui links two worlds.

A unique home in coastal Kai Iwi is an enigma linking two worlds.

The two-storey home was originally built on one level at 854 Rapanui Rd by one of the most prolific cattle traders of last century, Eric Hislop. He was well-known for his preference for the Belted Galloway breed of cattle, a relatively rare breed in his day.

Research suggests the home was first built in the late 1950s and then altered in the 1960s to include the upper level and a unique round-shaped living room with a hidden flashing light system.

The round room gives this rural home in Whanganui's Rapanui Road a unique quality.

The home and garden surrounds were once part of the much larger Hislop farming estate subdivided off to create an aesthetically-pleasing country living environment.

The refurbishments and history behind its construction are the links that join two worlds.
Farmland surrounds the 1.63-acre block with the crash of the waves at Kai Iwi Beach just minutes away.

In the early 1970s the bell tower from the old former Wanganui Girls College boarders' hostel Wickham House, that stood majestically in Whanganui's Liverpool St, was added as a most unusual garden workshop.

The belfry section of the tower remains minus the actual bell and this simply adds to the uniqueness of the property. The bell tower was originally moved to the site to be used as a fully operational pottery shed and has three-phase power. There is also a separate 108sqm garage/workshop to the side of the home.

The three-bedroom home with a large separate office is positioned to overlook a new subdivision in the valley below that includes Galloway Close, a small no exit road named in memory of Hislop's preferred cattle breed. Sections (2 x 1ha blocks) are still available in the subdivision below for those looking for extra land.

The home at 854 Rapanui Rd is at the centre of an adventure family playground with farmland surrounds, all the benefits of beach activities just minutes away, a whitebaiting haven in the nearby streams and the proximity to city life in Whanganui.

The home is to be sold by For Farms agent David Cotton with a price tag of $745,000 including GST.