Weekend country retreat:

Attractive one bedroom cottage in Masterton, the heart of the Wairarapa.

A delightful cottage to quietly relax and recharge your batteries; a tranquil retreat to read, and to discover the attractive environs of Masterton, Carterton, Greytown and Martinborough. Simply stunning!!

$165 including gst per night, breakfast included. Sleeps 1-2 people, two nights minimum. To book email dianaj@orgdev.co.nz

Furnished french style with beautiful linen, claw-foot bath, warmed floors, open gas fire, french doors opening to a courtyard and garden planted in box trees, lavenders, red poppies and rosemary.

You can walk to the Ruamahunga river at the back of the property, and discover in nearby Masterton, cafes, Aratoi art gallery, Moore Wilson’s fresh market, Saturday farmers market, Sunday street market, Henley Lake and Queen Elizabeth park. Greytown, Gladstone and Martinborough are the nearby towns.

The restoration

Built in 1924, this cottage has been lovingly restored and now includes a luxurious bathroom and easy to use kitchen. The rimu walls have been rubbed with linseed oil and the wooden floors polished. The living room and bedroom remain original.

The lean-to was demolished and rebuilt on the existing footprint and includes a new bathroom and well-equipped kitchen.

History of the building

The original shearers’ quarters consisted of a kitchen, laundry, dining room, bathroom, and four bedrooms off the porch. In its recent history, the building was cut in half and one half taken to a neighbouring property where it is also used for

accommodation. In the summer evenings, shearers lay in their bunks and wrote their names on the walls. Some worked out their wages, others left messages. In the 1950’s the walls were used to write telephone numbers of local contractors. Many of these notes remain on the walls.

Over the years, family and friends slept in this building. Abandoned in early 2000’s the building became a haven for birds. The current owners bought the property in 2006 and restored the building as inviting accommodation. Bordering a working olive grove and vines, there is a private courtyard and, views of the Tararua ranges, an ideal haven from which to explore the Wairarapa.