Whangamatā bach on the move again after 95 years

Gil Tremewan (right) and his partner Diane Thompson at the Ocean Rd property. Photo / Al Williams

A Whangamatā weatherboard home which is nearly 100 years old could soon be on the move.

Gil Tremewan bought the property 34 years ago and has enjoyed the two-bedroom home with family and friends over the years.

Now he wants to build a new home on the 800-square metre site and is keen to gauge interest from anyone keen on the dwelling.

Tremewan said he understood the house was built in Hamilton in 1929, constructed in two parts for ease of transport.

In 1930, the 80sq m structure was delivered to the Ocean Rd site where it still stands.

The house was built in Hamilton in 1929, constructed in two parts for ease of transport. Photo / Al Williams

“The house was delivered on two Bedford trucks, traversing metal roads through Paeroa and Waihī before arriving in Whangamatā; it was placed on its current site at 415 Ocean Rd, where it has stood for 94 years.”

Tremewan said he was told by a Thames-Coromandel District Council building inspector the house was unfit for habitation when he bought it.

“When I purchased the property from Dicky Burman, the Whangamatā real estate principal in 1990, it was in need of repair.”

He set about tidying it up, replacing the rotten weatherboards and giving it a lick of paint.

“I worked hard with my father to restore the cottage, making it both functional and compliant with council standards.”

The kitchen boasts the original timber benchtop, green enamel sink, cupboard latches, Bakelite switches and tongue and groove flooring. Photo / Al Williams

The kitchen is original – so is the tongue and groove floor, the windows and doors, he said.

“We want someone to take it away. It’s a great little thing.”

While it had been at the centre of holiday celebrations over the decades, Tremewan said research had led him to discover some of its history.

“I had a guy walk into the section some years back – he said he was the son of the guy who brought the house here.

“From the records we found, we believe the Lister family were the original owners of the cottage who enjoyed it for 45 years.

Gil Tremewan and Diane Thompson say the home has hosted many family gatherings over the years. Photo / Al Williams

“In 1981, five brothers – Kevin, Wayne, Craig, Mark and Noddy, surnames unknown – purchased it, and it is believed they still holiday in Whangamatā.”

When Tremewan bought it in 1990, he said it was known as the “Pink House” due to its distinctive pink window ledges.

“Over the years, passersby affectionately referred to it as a doll’s house.”

He said the house had a “classic” layout, with one bedroom at each end and a combined dining/living room in the middle which used to include a log burner.

“The kitchen boasts the original timber benchtop, green enamel sink, cupboard latches, Bakelite switches, and tongue and groove flooring; an outdoor shower was added, followed by a califont for added comfort.”

However, the time had come to move the cottage off the property and find a new location to make way for a new development, he said.

“With its character and charm, this unique cottage would be ideal as a bed-and-breakfast, offering guests a connection to the past, or an ideal back on a vacant section of [an] additional sleepout facility.

“The bach, one of Whangamatā's treasured homes, will be fondly missed.”