Historic Tirau post office building, now a Bendon outlet store, on the market

Historic Tirau post office building, now a Bendon outlet store, on the market

Historic Tirau post office building, now a Bendon outlet store, on the market

An historic post office building dating back to the 1880s in the main street of Tirau, south of Hamilton, is for sale.

Blair Hutcheson of Bayleys Waikato says the freehold property is now a Bendon outlet store and is being sold by Taupo-based owners. It is being marketed with an asking price of $429,000 plus GST which is just shy of its capital valuation of $430,000.

"The weatherboard building at 9 Main St, Tirau, has a total floor area of around 194sq m and sits on a corner 545sq m site with high profile to passing traffic," says Hutcheson.

"It's on the northern side of Main Street, otherwise known as State Highway 1, at the intersection with Rose St and lies to the north of Tirau's central retail and commercial area.

"Tirau, which is known for its corrugated iron artwork advertising local businesses, is fairly typical of provincial service towns with commercial development predominantly located in a ribbon manner along the main street. The immediate location has a wide range of business activity including cafes, gift and antique retailers, a service station, a motel, wine and beverage outlet and other general retailers."

The tenant of the building is Bendon Retail Limited, which renewed its initial lease last November for a further three-year term with a three-year right of renewal.

The site has good exposure to both vehicle and pedestrian traffic, with some on-site parking, and plenty of street parking in Rose St.

Construction is a mix of long run iron and timber cladding, with timber joinery. "Inside character features remain, like deep skirting boards and timber floors and it is likely that the original post office vault is still in situ," Hutcheson says.

In a nod to its modern day retailing function, the property has air-conditioned showroom space, basic amenities and mezzanine storage.

The building and site is on the South Waikato District Council's Built Heritage Register and as such has some protections under the Historic Places Act for its symbolic historical significance as part of the town's early commercial life and its settlement in the 1880s.

"Given this status, buyers should conduct their own due diligence regarding the structural soundness of the property and the guidelines and requirements under the Historic Places Act," says Hutcheson.

"Tirau now has a thriving tourist-orientated focus overlaying its service function for locals and the neighbouring rural community. The town has an emerging cafe culture and a variety of stores selling gifts, antiques, arts and craftwork. It's a very popular spot to break a journey for those travelling on State Highway 1 and the place hums, particularly at the weekend.

"The town also has the honour of having the largest corrugated iron sheep and dog in the world, both of which have become tourist landmarks. Tirau's information centre has a corrugated dog facade, while the wool and craft shop has a sheep-themed one.

"These structures now also have a place on the South Waikato District Council's Built Heritage Register for their local significance."

Tirau is 20km from Matamata and about 55km southeast of Hamilton. It was formerly called Okoroire and the single-storey commercial building for sale opened as the Okoroire Post & Telegraph Office in 1881. In 1890, the town's name was changed to Oxford after the famous English university town (with Cambridge just 30km north towards Hamilton). However, due to confusion with Oxford in Canterbury, South Island, the name was later changed to Oxford North.

In 1895 it took the name of a prominent hill in the area, Tirau, "the place of many cabbage trees".