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Story: South Canterbury places

Cob cottage

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Cob cottage

Paterson’s accommodation house at Hakataremea was built in 1872. It has a shingle roof and is built from cob, a building material made of dried mud and straw. This had the advantage of being a good insulator, warm in winter and cool in summer.

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John Wilson, South Canterbury places – Waitaki, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/11499/cob-cottage (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by John Wilson, published 2 March 2009, updated 17 August 2015.