This coastal Taranaki home comes with its own church

The homestead began life on Pendarves Street in central New Plymouth, where it was associated with two of the town’s pioneering settlers, William Messenger and Charles Hursthouse. Messenger arrived in New Plymouth in 1853, and his grandson Frank went on to design hundreds of buildings across Taranaki, including the New Plymouth Cenotaph. Hursthouse arrived in 1843 and wrote books encouraging British families to settle in New Zealand.

In 2002 a previous owner moved the house to Onaero and brought the church onto the site too. Both buildings were relined and given a light restoration, but when current owners Robert and Sharon came across the property 10 years ago, the homestead was sitting empty.

“We found the property by mistake,” they say. “Coastal property was the attraction, and after the first viewing we realised this unlived-in ‘old darling’ deserved a better future.”

Over the past decade the couple have given it that future. They redecorated the kitchen, bathroom, lounge and bedrooms, relocated the mudroom, installed a bedroom at the front of the church, and fenced and landscaped the gardens and grounds. Throughout, the character of the original home has stayed intact.

The property’s second historic building is the former St Luke’s Methodist Church from Ōkato. It opened on New Year’s Day 1899 at a cost of £300 and held its final service in July 1985, after 87 years, before being rented to the Ōkato Kōhanga Reo and later moved to Onaero.

Of everything on the property, one feature Robert and Sharon built themselves steals the show: the 15sqm folly hut nestled among the sea-front paddocks. It has its own deck (and a handy toilet!), making it the ultimate spot to unwind.

“Staying in the folly by the sea and having meals on the deck beside it,” is their favourite part of the property, the couple say.

Onaero is known for its microclimate and fertile soil, and the orchard makes the most of it, with around 90 avocado trees and about 20 stone fruit and citrus trees. There is also a 101sqm original implement shed with workshop space, a retired cowshed for storage, and unplanted land that could be fenced for grazing, with an extra grazing option on a separate lot.

Buyers have asked about potential business ventures and grazing, Delwyn says. “But the strongest appeal remains as a very special lifestyle retreat, a place to enjoy, unwind, and make the most of its unique surroundings.”

As for the biggest drawcard? “I would say it’s the total package, and there’s still scope for buyers to leave their own legacy on the property.”

Onaero Beach is a five-minute drive away, and the village of Urenui, 4km east, has cafés, shops and a primary school. The property is in zone for Waitara High School.

“This stretch of the West Coast, with its distant views towards the White Cliffs, is one of those spectacular parts of New Zealand that leaves an impression,” Delwyn says. “It’s close enough to commute into the city for work, yet far enough away to enjoy that relaxed coastal, holiday-at-home feeling. The Onaero and Urenui area is well loved for summer fishing, camping and its strong, close-knit community.”