- A historic home in Riverton, built by Theophilus Daniel, is going to auction.
- The home, restored by the Daniel family, features four bedrooms and two bathrooms.
- Zac McFelin is selling the property as he moves to Invercargill with his partner.
Nearly 170 years after it was built, a historic Southland home is heading to auction.
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Zac McFelin, whose ancestor, Theophilus Daniel, laid the foundations of Daniel House in Riverton.
Records show Theophilus was a key figure in Riverton's early development. He made his fortune in whaling and was elected mayor before graduating to parliament as an MP for Southland.
His wife, Elizabeth, was one of the first European women to settle in Southland and was known for her knowledge of medicinal foods and fluency in Te Reo Māori.
Daniel House is a Historic Place Category 2 property and is a source of wonder and fascination for tourists and locals. Photo / Supplied
Vendor Zac McFelin took over ownership of the house five years ago. Photo / Supplied
Their home was unusual in that the building materials were most likely imported from Australia, where Theophilus had lived for a period between stints in New Zealand.
What’s more, the original builder is believed to have been a shipwright, because the cedar cladding had caulking between the weatherboards, a technique typical of shipbuilding.
By the 1980s, the home had fallen into disrepair, damaged by the weather and borer, but in 1988, members of the Daniel family bought the property and set about preserving a key part of their heritage.
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Zac’s father, Brent, took over the property in 2000, and carried on the hard work of restoring the home.
Zac, who was six when the family moved in, told OneRoof that his father spent his evenings and weekends working on the house.
It was a great place to grow up, he said. "I had a good time with my brother, sliding down the stairs in sleeping bags and things like that. There is a cupboard under the stairs, we always called it the Harry Potter cupboard.”
The property has an RV of just over half a million dollars and has been restored by McFelin's father and wider family. Photo / Supplied
He added: “Mum and dad used to have open homes in Riverton when I was a kid, and lots of people used to come around here to see the house and the garden.”
Passers-by knock often knock on the door to ask about it and Zac will lead them to Riverton Museum, which holds even more of the property's history as well as a number of artefacts from its early years.
Zac bought the property from his father five years ago, at the age of 26. “I bought it off him because he wanted to move to town [Invercargill] and I needed a house. I always loved what dad did, and I wanted to keep it in the family.”
Zac told OneRoof that he is sad to sell the home, but like his father, is heading to Invercargill with his partner and her two children.
“It is going to be hard moving on. I always had a soft place in my heart for the house, but my life has changed. I would love someone to really enjoy it.”
The home is being marketed by Harcourts agent Eileen Brooker, who says the layout is perfect for families and those needing a work-from-home space, noting the three main bedrooms upstairs, plus a versatile office or fourth bedroom on the ground floor.
“Cozy up in the living and lounge rooms, while the separate kitchen and butler's pantry offer excellent functionality for your culinary needs,” she writes in her listing on OneRoof.
“Multiple features shine through in the bathrooms, including a charming downstairs bathroom with a clawfoot bath, pedestal vanity and toilet.”
“Additional highlights include a generous double garage, multiple parking spaces and a partially fenced yard.”
The four-bedroom, two-bathroom category 2 historic home sits on 1409sqm of land and has an RV of $530,000.
- 85 Palmerston Street, Riverton, Southland, goes to auction on August 28
