Brian and Penny Anderson, celebrate after buying
Waikouaiti's old school house last night. Photo by Steve
Hepburn.
The old schoolhouse in Waikouaiti has been sold, and
there is no chance of it being knocked down.
At an auction on site at Beach St last night, the house and
adjoining 0.8ha of land was sold to Dunedin couple Brian and
Penny Anderson for $305,000.
Bidding started at $260,000 with just one other bidder, and
got to $285,000 before 10 minutes of private negotiations
between the Andersons and owners the Boswell family came to a
conclusion.
The property had a valuation of $300,000.
The building existed through the generosity of whaler, farmer
and merchant Johnny Jones, and was first used as a
schoolhouse in 1860. Mr Jones gave the timber and land for
the building to be built.
Mr Anderson said the house was a part of Waikouaiti's
heritage, and there was no way he would knock it down.
He said he had been ‘‘lusting'' after the property for a
longtime, and had had a crib in Waikouaiti for many years.
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