Classic Wellington railway cottage comes complete with kākā

Friday, 15 March 2024

Much loved family home, 46 Tarikākā St, Ngaio, is on the market.

Tarikākā means “the place where the kākā rest”. So, when lawyer Natasha Alley first moved to Tarikākā St, in Ngaio, she was delighted to discover the native parrots visit her backyard.

It’s thought the area was once the place local iwi hunted the parrots. It’s also the original name of nearby Mt Kaukau - it’s likely Kaukau is a mis-pronunciation of kākā.

But the kākā visits are just one of the many things that has made living in the neighbourhood a magical experience for Alley.

Alley and her husband, Hamish White, bought a classic 1920s railway cottage, in an area of the city that’s famous for its concentration of the iconic former-workers’ homes, about nine years ago.

The home has been modernise, but retains a lot of period charm.

Originally from Auckland, she jokes that was “dragged kicking and screaming” to the capital by White about 10 years ago.

'[Since then] I've just loved Te Whānganui-a-Tara,' she says. 'It's been getting a bit of a hard time in the media at the moment. But it really is a diverse, intellectual, liberal, open-minded, beautiful city, where you can be walking with kākā one minute, and in a cafe in the city, or going to the ballet, the next.

'After my kids and my husband, it's my life. I've really fallen in love with the city and I think that's due to the community up here in Ngaio.'

When Alley moved into the area, there were still one or two of the original railways tenants living in neighbouring cottages.

'They were the loveliest neighbours. When [one in particular] left, he'd had something like 40 years service at Kiwirail, and he was given a little model train, which he gave to our son.'

Now, most of the homes around her are owner-occupied, and only a few of the cottages are still in their original state. Alley’s cottage, however, had been fully modernised when she moved in.

“It's still 90m², which is small but an environmentally friendly place to live - you're not heating a large space.

'[The original owners] did such an amazing job. We've obviously maintained it and looked after it, but we didn't really need to do much.'

The couple added some pocket wardrobes and installed a Murphy bed in the small studio office at the bottom of the garden. But most of the major structural changes, such as opening up the back of the house to create a multi-use living area, and terracing the gardening to created a flat lawn, were done.

Previous owners were a young family. They completed the renovations, and included lots of storage and built in shelves.

The character of the home remains, however. The home appears in the book Railway Houses of New Zealand, a history of railway cottages by Bruce Shalders.

'They are such amazing historical homes. We feel like our role has been as caretakers of the house as opposed to owners of the home.

'Mt Kaukau is a really short walk away, and the the water tower [walk] is close by as well. There aren't many places in the world where the city is just a short drive or train ride away, but also has that feeling of [being in the country].'

Now, however, it’s time for the family to “up-size”, as their children are getting older.

The home appears in Railway Houses of New Zealand, a history of railway cottages by Bruce Shalders.

'I would happily stay, but my husband is ready to for us to spread our wings and not have to share one bathroom between the four of us.'

The cottage would suit young professionals looking for a first home, young families, and downsizers, Alley says.

A shed at the bottom of the garden makes a great work from home space. There’s also a pull down bed for guests.

Alley and White would often have the neighbours around for a barbecue.

One of the highlights of the home is the deck and garden, that has been designed to give maximum usage: there’s a lawn, as well as this large deck, perfect for entertaining.

'We were first home buyers with a young daughter. The previous owners had three children living there: That's why they put in such amazing storage.'

Listed with Ben Stevens and Kartjana Anderson for Ray White, the cottage is for sale by auction, which will be held on Friday, April 5.

Built between 1923 and 1929, railways cottages were dotted all over the country as part of the then Railways Department's housing scheme. The buildings are much sought-after by character home enthusiasts.

The current CV for 46 Tarikākā St is $1.5m.

Recently two cottages scheduled for demolition in Lower Hutt were saved and moved to new locations. In 2022, businessman Harry Mowbray bought several of the cottages in Napier to move them to a re-creation of a workers’ settlement in Waikato.

In 2020, a very run-down cottage on Tarikākā at number 44 sold at auction for $700,000, about $30,000 over the RV.