Story: Housing

Cottage interior

Cottage interior

This one-roomed cottage in Mōhaka, pictured around 1855, may have been Māori-built. The structure resembles a traditional whare with a wooden frame – the rafters and posts supporting a central ridgepole – and raupō (reed) or flax cladding. However, its side front door shows European influence. The furnishings are basic – its inhabitant uses a box as a seat and a bunk bed is visible by the far wall. Perishables are stored in hanging kete (baskets) above the man's head.

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Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: A-235-005
Watercolour by Alfred John Cooper

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Ben Schrader, 'Housing - Interior planning and living', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/38649/cottage-interior (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Ben Schrader, published 5 Sep 2013