If only the walls in Stevenson's Cottage could talk.
It is easy to walk past the cottage at 55 Buckingham St - a simple white weatherboard building, with two large front windows and a door, it blends seamlessly into the historic Buckingham St cottages, once owned by the late Eamon Cleary, an Irish businessman and developer.
Over the past 139 years it has been home to some of Arrowtown's forefathers and now, under the tenancy of Arrowtown beauty therapist Oddfellows, it is open to the public.
The Heritage New Zealand website says the ''humble and utilitarian'' Historic Places Category 2 building stands as a testament to Arrowtown's development, built on land given to Bernard Rushton in September 1874.
The tiny two-bedroom cottage was built about 1877 where Mr Rushton, his wife Adelaide and their eight children lived until 1878. During that time an extension running perpendicular to the cottage was built.
It was then sold to borough councillor and Arrowtown mayor John Thomas Burrell, who was employed by William Jenkins, the town's general merchant.
Nine years later the cottage was sold to Frenchman Peter Butel.
Mr Butel arrived in Arrowtown in 1862 and within two years he and his brother had established two successful farms, a flour mill, a sawmilling business and a watercourse that would provide the village's water supply.
The remains of the Butel's Mill Farm now form the hub of the restored buildings at Millbrook Resort, HNZ says.
Mr Butel rented 55 Buckingham St to William Marsh, the owner of the Lake County Press, before it was rented to Amy Smith, the town clerk's widow, in 1905.
In 1920 Mr Butel sold the cottage to Robert McDowell, who sold it to George Scoles in 1929.
It was then that labourer Stewart Stevenson moved in to the cottage, a place he would call home for 35 years, buying it in 1945, selling it in 1946, but continuing to rent it until about 1964.
For his time in the property, it is known as Stevenson's Cottage.
F.E. Railton bought the cottage, but sold it in 1995 to Mr and Mrs F.M. Bennetto.
In August the lease for the building came up and Oddfellows co-owner Sam Gent said it was an opportunity the business could not resist.
The beauty therapy business opened in March 2013 in 57 Buckingham St, another address established in 1877 and originally home to a chemist, a doctor and an undertaker. At the time miners paid a subscription which meant they could use the three services.
It has also served as the Arrowtown doctor's surgery and the Arrowtown Borough Council chambers, but latterly was the home to infrastructure consultancy business Rationale Ltd.
Mrs Gent and business partner Amy Bennetts gave that building an interior refurbishment, which included stripping back a wall to expose the original wallpaper.
With business booming, the women decided to take on the lease of Stevenson's Cottage, which provides a fourth treatment room, staff kitchen and laundry.
''When the previous tenant moved out I thought, `We've got to get that','' Mrs Gent said.
Tidying the property up had been another labour of love, with an aim of combining historical features with modern elements.
The original fireplace and stove are still in the building, but are no longer able to be used, so a heat pump and a slightly more modern oven have been installed.
While there was no television in Stevenson's Cottage, there was Wi-Fi, Mrs Gent said.
''We've given it a lick of paint in some areas, but we really wanted to keep a combination of the old and new throughout.
''It really is as it was.''
The cottage is littered with historical elements, including an English iron from the 1800s; a bottle of ''Neil's Black Stove Polish'', lanterns and a set of bellows, decorated with Maori symbols embellished with ''Kia Ora from New Zealand''.
The walls are decorated with Art Deco mirrors, photos of Arrowtown and old paintings and watercolours.
An interior timber frame between the kitchen and stairs to the modern bathroom is marked with lines, names and dates, thought to be the growth charts of Bennetto family members over the past 19 years.
At the back of the property lies one of Arrowtown's least-known historical features.
Shaded by a large tree is the wooden framing of an outhouse, underneath which - concealed by wooden boards - is one of the village's only remaining long-drops.
The tree, which repels rats and mice, was planted to keep the area vermin-free, Mrs Gent said.
As with Oddfellows, named after the building it is housed in, the tenancy has opened up the building to the public, enabling people to walk in the footsteps of some of Arrowtown's most influential founding residents.
''Anyone can come in and have a bit of a look - we're more than happy for people to have a bit of a nosey.''
