Hurworth Cottage

Hurworth Cottage was the first homestead of Taranaki pioneer Harry Atkinson who later became premier of New Zealand. The cottage was donated to the New Zealand Historic Places Trust in 1967 and was restored to its original size and appearance. It has an attractive garden in a rural setting and contains period furniture and family mementos. Hurworth is typical of early settlers’ dwellings in its simplicity – rectangular in shape, clad in vertical board and batten with a pitched roof and French doors opening onto a four-sided veranda. Graffiti from the New Zealand Wars was uncovered during restoration which continues to fascinate visitors today.