Flintstone house a gem
Hidden away in the small settlement of Tuahiwi, just southeast of Rangiora in North Canterbury, is what locals call the Flintstone house.
The old apple orchard and packing shed was converted into a home in 1988.
The plaster exterior opens out to a house that looks fresh from a movie set. Concrete floors, a kitchen filled with mosaics and parts of trees that protrude from the walls are defining features of the house.
Owners Terry and Lisa were amazed the first time they saw the house.
‘‘I remember seeing it years ago, we came out here to a fair down the road and I remember seeing it and I thought, ‘oh god look at that funny house’ and we ended up buying the bloody thing 10 years later,’’ Terry said.
‘‘I loved it. I wanted it right or wrong.’’
Lisa said it was very creative and original.
‘‘Who would think that stuff up,’’ she said.
The roof had grass and plants growing on it before much of it deteriorated due to Canterbury’s dry weather conditions.
‘‘They used to laugh about him [the old owner] taking his lawnmower up there but there wouldn’t have been any grass. He would of just been mowing some weeds, it’s too dry up there,’’ Terry said.
Many of the locals used the house as their landmark and gave directions to places in Tuahiwi based on their proximity to the Flintstone house.
‘‘We say to people we’re the Flintstone house and if they have no idea, you’ll know it when you see it,’’ Lisa said.
Car rallies often passed through Tuahiwi and a stop at the Flintstone house was part of their journey.
‘‘They sometimes ask what colour the Flintstone house is or what number it is, that’s common,’’ Terry said.
Terry and Lisa had lived in the house for 10 years and were still fascinated by it. The posts at the back of the house were what Terry believed to be part of the original barn from the orchard.
The property had changed drastically in its time, with the couple making numerous changes to it over their 10-year tenure.
An old spa pool room got pulled down and was turned into a space full of ferns. The driveway had bright white stones and the backyard was full of vegetable gardens and sheds. Terry and Lisa replaced the stones and built a large barn in the backyard.
Terry said he had never been interested in normal living and had often travelled and lived out of his bus while picking apples.
It would be a bit of struggle if they ever decided to move on, he said.
"We say to people 'we're the Flintstone house' and if they have no idea, you'll know it when you see it."
Homeowner Lisa