Taiparoro House, 1882- (Place)

SummaryTaiparoro was originally the name of the land between Arundel Street and 6th Avenue, facing Devonport Road and a pre-pakeha marae on the same site.

Constructed in 1882 by John Cuthbert Adams (1854-1932) on the corner of what is today Fifth Avenue and Devonport Road in Tauranga, Taiparoro House was built in the North American Carpenter Gothic style from rough-sawn heart kauri timber. It features steeply pitched gables with decorative bargeboards edged in gingerbread trim and topped with turned finials. The façade includes multi-paned dormer windows, and one-story verandahs with ornate fretwork wrap around two sides of the house. The transom light above the front door is etched with the name "Taiparoro."

Inside, the house originally featured high tongue-and-groove kauri ceilings, a sitting room with a rose fretwork centerpiece on the ceiling, colored glass windows and doors, and decorated trusses in the hall archway. As the Adams family grew, additional bedrooms were added, and the kitchen was enlarged. The living room was extended to thirty feet to serve as a ballroom, featuring a parquet floor made from native timbers such as kauri, matai, rewarewa, rimu, tawa, and totara.

Originally set on a two-acre estate, the property included gardens with native and English plants, such as kauri, titoki, karaka, and a copper beech tree. The stables, designed to accommodate a gig and a spring cart with a fodder loft above, were part of the initial construction. Later additions included a tennis court, and eventually, the stables were converted into a garage while retaining the historical façade.SourcesTaiparoro, Tauranga (Sketch by Anne Bowling)Māori Place Names - Tauranga, collected by E.L. Adams: Journal of the Tauranga Historical Society Number 23"Taiparoro" by Shirley Arabin, Tauranga Historical Society Blog, 6 September 2019"Old house to fall under hammer", Bay of Plenty Times, 2 October 1973Bay of Plenty Mirror, 9 October 1973"Pioneer's house sold", Bay of Plenty Times, 31 October 1973"Family Christmases Recalled", Bay of Plenty Times, 16 September 1989"Taiparoro — an alternative welcome", Bay of Plenty Times, 8 May 1998

Photographs

Historic Adams Home 'Taiparoro'

Tennis at Taiparoro 1890s

Taiparoro 1997

Taiparoro - 11, 15th Avenue

Stories - Places

Taiparoro House, 1882-

Taiparoro, Tauranga. Sketch by Anne Bowling. Western Bay Community Archives.

Usage

Kaitiakitanga StatementWe ask that, in addition to normal copyright and privacy considerations, users of our heritage resources uphold the mana and dignity of the people, communities and places depicted within.CopyrightTe Ao Mārama - Tauranga City LibrariesLicenseCC BY 4.0AcknowledgementTe Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries , Taiparoro House, 1882- (Place)

Known Date/s

Date Built1882

Relates To

PeopleAdams, John Cuthbert, 1854-1932 (Person)

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Taiparoro House, 1882- (Place)