Ngaheia Homestead
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| Ngaheia Homstead - artist Alfred Sharpe |
This lovely old relic was hard for me to find both in person while driving in my car and online until I discovered it's located down a very long private driveway off State Highway 1 in Pakaraka. The Ngaheia Homestead was built around 1866 and originally owned by Joseph Marsden Williams and his wife Marianne. Joseph was one of the sons of well known colonial missionary Henry Williams who is buried in Pakaraka Church Cemetery. The house is on a recorded archaeological pa site and is a schedule 2 building on the Historic Places Trust register.
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| Updated photo taken 1984 |
The land consisted of 1800 acres and formed part of the original Pakaraka Estate including the Waitangi River flowing through a large section of it as well as volcanic hillocks, the Waiotapu Falls and a natural water spring. I did find a news article saying the property sold in 2009 after being owned by the Jeffs family for for 16 years. They had looked after the house nicely while repiling the foundations and replacing the floorboards with Macrocarpa. There has been reports from family members who have seen apparitions of a women in a long dress coming down the stairs. I'm not sure who bought it but I am envious as it would be packed with history.
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