Historic Stoddart Cottage officially re-opened

Stoddart Cottage, the oldest building in Diamond Harbour, has officially re-opened to the public after undergoing painstaking earthquake repairs and restoration.

John Riminton from the Stoddart Cottage Trust cuts the ribbon to officially re-open the historic cottage.

Famed as the birthplace of one of New Zealand’s foremost painters, the 19th century cottage is a treasured part of Diamond Harbour’s colonial past.

“Stoddart Cottage is a small building with a big story to tell,” said Andrew Turner, Banks Peninsula Councillor and Deputy Mayor, who was among those to attend a community celebration on Wednesday marking the building's official re-opening.

“It’s the birthplace and family home of Margaret Stoddart, one of New Zealand’s first professional female artists, and arguably our foremost painter of flowers. The cottage was shipped over from Australia by her father, Mark Stoddart, in 1861, making it one of the oldest homes left in the area and an incredibly rare surviving example of a pre-fabricated Colonial home.

“It’s the community’s love for this little treasure that has let it keep pride of place in Diamond Harbour, and the fact that we can still enjoy it to this day is testament to the efforts of the Council’s Heritage repair team and the Friends of Stoddart Cottage group – which has been taking care of the cottage since 1970,” Cr Turner said.

Work on the historic cottage began in October 2016 and included repairing earthquake damage and the roof, reconstruction and strengthening of three chimneys, replacing deteriorated weatherboards and a re-paint of the exterior. A new drainage solution was also installed to protect the property from flooding.