Clifden Cottage, one of the oldest houses in Ōtaki, is being restored.

 The cottage was moved from its original site near the Ōtaki River to another site farther south to make way for expressway construction. It’s now back, clothed in weatherproof wrapping while work continues.

In January Waka Kotahi appointed a contractor for the restoration work, which will  conserve the building’s exterior heritage features. This is to meet the conditions of the Peka to Peka to Ōtaki expressway designation.

Scaffolding was erected around the old building in mid-February, and the wrapping soon after. Restoration work began on March 3.
Waka Kotahi says it will take about four months to complete.

The restored cottage and subdivided land will then be subject to review to see if Waka Kotahi has any further requirement for the land. The land was acquired by the Crown for the construction of the expressway.

Kāpiti Coast District Council has said it would like to use some of the land for public parking.

The building, sometimes erroneously called “Clifton” Cottage,  was built about 1874 on the south bank of the Ōtaki River by the Small family, who were settlers from Scotland. It was known as their Clifden farmhouse for three generations.

In 1943 the house and part of the farm became a summer camp for deprived Wellington families, run by the Wellington City Mission. This was an important part of the work of the Anglican Saint Peter’s Church in Wellington city, working with the inner-city Te Aro communities. The house was renamed Riverslea and was used for four decades as a convalescent home as part of a summer camp. In the 1980s, the summer camp was sold and became a privately owned holiday camp, conference, and events facility known as Bridge Lodge.

The property was bought by the Crown in 2010 for the adjacent expressway. The house has been relocated about 20 metres east from its original location, with its orientation and outlook over the Ōtaki River retained.

It’s not a Heritage NZ listed heritage building, but Waka Kotahi is required to repair and conserve the exterior heritage features – the work currently under way.