Small town feel with an international airport in driving distance
Saturday, 25 July 2026
Ashburton combines a relaxed rural feel with good schools, cafés, a hospital and easy access to Christchurch, making it an affordable and steadily growing place to call home.
This week's open homes range from a beautifully updated early-1900s worker's cottage and a lifestyle property in Tinwald to a renovated Methven home, a classic brick bungalow and a quirky 1970s A-frame.
With CVs ranging from $395,000 to $665,000, the featured properties showcase the variety and affordability on offer in the Ashburton district.
Each week, we bring you our favourite open homes to hit up in a town or suburb near you. This week, our focus is on Ashburton. Whether you’re eager to buy, or simply a perpetual property peruser, you’ll find an open home worth taking a peek at here each Saturday morning.
It may be a thriving rural hub, but there’s something of the small town about Ashburton, in the heart of Canterbury.
'It does have that small town, rural sort of feel about it, which is great,' says local Bayleys agent Emily Smith. 'Look, you're not far from a ski field at Methven and you don't have to drive far to be out in the country.'
That said, Ash-vegas as the locals nickname it, has everything you could want for a town: good schools, great food and drink - check out The Rabbit on Victoria St - and an excellent little cinema called The Regent. There’s also a hospital and all the other amenities.
The township is only an hour and 20 minutes from Christchurch, however, which might seem a lot for country folk, but if you’re fleeing the traffic of Auckland, it’s nothing.
'It's an easy drive. You're an hour to an international airport. We're definitely a growing town. There's a lot of new build going on at the moment, which is always a good sign.'
Homes here are varied in price and style. While Smith says the market has been a little quiet due to the season, she has seen a steady stream of first-time buyers coming to town, which speaks to the little burgh’s affordability.
“It’s a very steady market,” says Smith. “I find we don't have the high highs and the low lows like the main centres, and we are still getting good inquiry from out of town buyers as well.”
On her list at the moment is a very sweet example. Built some time in the early 1900s, the little colonial-style worker's cottage at 38 Grey St, Ashburton, has got curb appeal for miles with its sweet drop veranda and handsome colouring.
The cottage sits on a small-ish section - the land around it was subdivided in the 90s - but it includes an enclosed garage and fully fenced yard.
Inside, the home has been extensively updated, which has removed some of the original character, but in its place is a modern family home.
'It's got that real charming look about it,' says Smith. 'It's very tidy inside[…] It's all been done. It's got the lovely sash windows at the front, which again is very appealing.'
The home has a 'very low maintenance section', which is appealing for working folks who 'possibly don't want to be spending all of their time in a garden', and it's got a 'fantastic log fire' that the vendors just put in at the end of last year.
'So it is a very well kitted out home, which I think, especially this time of year, is key.'
With a CV of $430,000, this home is to be sold by deadline sale, which closes on August 7.
Open home times: Saturday, July 25, 10.45am - 11.15am
Looking for a little more land with your country cottage? The property at 32 Laings Rd, Tinwald, might be the one for you. It’s as quaint as you could possibly want and comes with 3.55ha of flat land that’s just crying out for a gorgeous cottage garden, flowers and a vege patch.
It already has a small forest of truffle-supporting trees and a small orchard. Inside, the home is very tidy and could do with a little updating, style-wise, but it has three bedrooms and lots of warm period timber features, such as a hall screen and original doors.
With a CV of $665,000, this charming home is for sale by deadline, which closes on August 11. The listing is with Jeff Donaldson for PGG Wrightson.
Open home times: Saturday, July 25, 10.30am - 11.30am
For something a little more suburban, the three-bedroom home at 26 Alford St, Methven, where everything has already been done for you, is worth a wee look. The home has a new kitchen and has been re-imagined to work better for modern life, with barn doors and a new layout.
Outside, there’s an enclosed garage and a fully fenced rear garden to keep kids and pets safe. There’s also more than enough room for a little vege patch and a couple of fruit trees on the 809m² section.
With a CV of $450,000, this home is for sale by deadline, which closes on August 4 at 2pm. The listing is with Sam and Andy Gorman for Arizto.
Open home times: Saturday, July 25, 11.45am - 12.15pm
Brick, beautiful brick on display at our fourth house this week. The little 1910s bungalow at 61 Eton St, Hampstead, is a symphony in red brick, with a little matching brick garage in front.
The gardens here have been lovingly tended, and inside the home is original - check out the old cast iron cooker in the kitchen and the lovely timber trim in the living room. The home has three bedrooms, with one currently being used as a small gym.
With a CV of $445,000, the vendors are seeking inquiries over $479,000. The listing is with Sue Prendergast for Total 1.5%.
Open home times: Saturday, July 25, 11am - 11.30am
And now for something completely different: a 1970s-built A-frame. The home, at 170 McMurdo St in Tinwald, may not be as picturesque as the other homes on this list, but you can’t deny it's got character.
It’s also got a lot of character inside, too, where it has been updated and spruced up. The kitchen, with its new icy-blue tile, is very modern and funky. The rest of the home is just waiting for you to come and stamp your personality on.
With a CV of $395,000, the owners are inviting offers over $489,000. The listing is with Leah Harrison for Arizto.
Open home times: Sunday, July 26, 11am - 11.30am