Former Hikurangi school site and buildings going to auction with low reserve
An abandoned school in rural Northland that was bought on a whim for $125,000 and now fit for only camping is being auctioned with a low reserve.
The former Towai School in Ford Rd, Hikurangi, closed its doors for the last time in 2004 and, while the students are long gone, signs of its former life are evident from the dilapidated building, drained swimming pool and deserted toilet block.
Housing NZ bought the 2.02ha property for $250,000 two years after the school’s closure, with plans to build four low-cost homes on the site. Opposition from residents and restrictions preventing multiple dwellings to be built on the rural land meant it was put on the market nine years later.
Ray White salesman Alex Smits said the present owner was driving home from visiting family in Northland when he spotted a For Sale sign outside the school.
The owner had no real plan for it other than falling in love with the nearly 130-year-old timber building and thinking it was a good opportunity, Smits said.
“I think it was bought on a whim, had some cash in his back pocket and thought at that price it’s a good buy.”
A coffin maker had been living in the property rent free in return for keeping an eye on it until about 10 months ago.
However, it was now empty and the owner had decided it was time to sell.
“The vendors want rid of it; they don’t have the capacity to deal with it and they want to make sure it’s passed on to someone else that does have that capacity.”
Smits said it offered plenty of possibilities, being only a 30-minute drive from Whangārei.
“It’s a large, imposing structure comprising two buildings, and it
wouldn’t take much imagination to transform it into a beautiful house, backpackers accommodation, or schoolhouse. It may also suit communal living arrangements with lots of space to bring cabins and caravans.
He wouldn’t live in the property in its “as is, where is” state, but said it was perfect for camping.
“You could have cabins or caravans with communal living facilities. It’s got the old toilet block and whatnot, which would suit that down to a T.
“It’s just over 2ha of easy land so you could run a few livestock and put in gardens and orchards for self-sustainable living.”
The next owners could also be grabbing themselves a bargain because the property was to be auctioned with a low reserve, he said. Smit wouldn’t divulge what the reserve figure was, but said it was possible the property could be picked up for less than a bare block of land. “It will be a low reserve comparative to what else is on the market; it’s probably going to sell for maybe less than what a bare block would sell for, but we don’t know. “That’s the beauty of auctions, it will find the market value for it.” The old school building at 9 Ford Rd has an RV of $250,000, of which $180,000 is land value.
The school was one of seven Northland schools with a dwindling roll closed by the then Labour Government to redirect money to teachers and teaching aids. At the time, it had 17 students on its roll.