Recently, and in conjunction with Gerry Hodgson, a retired local architect, Tauranga Historical took a group of fifteen people on a most interesting trip around the northern end of Te Papa peninsula. We viewed houses from the roadside and learnt about the differing styles of home building in New Zealand from earliest European settlement to modern times.
The Elms Te Papa.
Image: Julie Green
Our first stop was of
course the Georgian/Regency/Colonial example in Mission Street. The Elms Te Papa was built predominantly by
hand with local materials. Gerry pointed out its symmetrical design with a well-lit
central foyer, matching twin dormer windows and the absence of a verandah —unusual
for this style of house, so it may have been the personal preference of its
first occupants, the Brown family. It was completed in 1847 by missionary
carpenters, with doors and windows made on site, and hand- polished glass
imported from Moravia for the many small window panes. The roof originally had
kauri shakes but early in the 20th century they were covered with corrugated
iron.
Gerry Hodgson on the front veranda at Brain Watkins House. Image: Julie Green
Next we arrived at the
front of Brain Watkins House at 233 Cameron Road — a Victorian Square Villa.
This is still somewhat symmetrical in style with a central corridor and a wide
verandah trimmed with ornate fretwork. Probably built to a standard plan from a
sale catalogue, it was constructed by local shipwright and civic contractor
Joseph Brain in 1881 for his wife and four daughters. The kauri used in its
construction was transported here from Coromandel in one of his small scows. The house was extended around 1900 as Joseph’s
family had grown: a fifth girl was born in 1891.
Edwardian house, Arundel Street. Image: Julie Green
Gerry confessed to
knowing little about the history of the next home we visited, in Arundel Street. He called it an Edwardian house: the earlier
fashion for symmetry having lessened in favour of a bay window on one side and a
verandah extending around two sides or more. It was interesting, however, to
note that the fretwork decorating the facade is almost identical to the 1880s
Brain Watkins House, even though this one dates to 1910. It also features
finials on the gable ends and little overlapping tiles above the bay window.
“The Old White House” in Second Avenue. Image: Julie
Green
Very close by in Second
Avenue is the location of a Californian Bungalow or Ranch home, built in 1906
using large posts and beams. It has almost a Japanese flavour, and Gerry
pointed out the presence of great ventilation features in the ceiling spaces
included in the design. The present owners have chosen to replace the
corrugated iron with
textured malthoid tiles when reroofing.
The two aspects of 186 Devonport Road. Images: Julie Green
A short walk around the
corner and down a hedge-lined drive brought us to this 1932 English Revival
stucco home off Devonport Road. The front and back facades are quite different. The street side of the house features large
Tudor-style beams. On the other side, facing the harbour and a large front lawn,
a vestibular verandah is constructed
within the main frame.
The street entrance, 186 Devonport Road. Image: Julie Green
After a short break for
a snack next to the WWII memorial at Memorial Park, we had to retreat to our
vehicles due to heavy rain. Driving to the other end of the reserve, we parked
next to the QEII sports pavilion and looked across to the rise where Fraser
Street and Eleventh Avenue meet. There, in 1972, a Gerry Hodgson-designed-home,
featuring a cantilevered verandah, was built with cedar and brick. It is
presently owned by another architect who invited its designer over for a cup of
tea not long after purchasing this truly NZ-style home.
Exterior and interior, 40 Fraser Street. Images: Gerry Hodgson
