Maungaraupi Estate is on 23 hectares near Marton, in the Rangitīkei region between Wellington and Lake Taupō.
The estate is named after the neighbouring stream.
Early history (1852 to 1905)
Naturalist William Swainson bought the land in 1852. His grandson, William Swainson Marshall, later built the homestead. William was known as Will.
Before Maungaraupi, Will managed Te Hekenga farm 50 kilometres upriver. In the 1870s, travelling between the 2 properties meant crossing the river 41 times on horseback, often while moving cattle through dense native bush.
Will spoke te reo Māori fluently. This helped him during a significant meeting with local iwi in 1875.
In 1892, Will helped found the Polynesian Society, one of the oldest learned societies in the Southern Hemisphere. That same year he married Elizabeth Hilda Addie Swainson. They raised 8 children at Maungaraupi. The family lived on the estate until the 1980s.
The homestead (1906)
Architect Charles Natusch and builder James McChesney built the homestead in 1906. It cost £3,000 and covers 836 square metres.
The builders used rimu, mataī and tōtara, seasoned for 3 years before construction.
The design combines Tudor and Elizabethan styles with Arts and Crafts influences.
Outside features:
- pronounced gables
- external timbering
- tall chimney stacks
- weatherboard on the ground floor
- half-timbered upper storeys with gabled balconies
- an observation tower with views to Kapiti Island
Art at Maungaraupi
Edith Collier painted the estate several times between 1927 and 1940. Collier was one of New Zealand’s first female modernist painters. Her Maungaraupi works are now in the Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui collection.
Original features
The homestead keeps many original features:
- tōtara, rimu and mataī floors
- pull-handle toilets
- open fireplaces
- wood-burning stove in the kitchen
The house was restored in the 1980s. The roof was replaced in 2013.
Heritage status
Maungaraupi became a Category 1 Historic Place on the New Zealand Heritage List Rārangi Kōrero in 1987.
Category 1 means the place has special or outstanding historical or cultural significance.