A landmark derelict wooden house which has defied almost everything going for several decades seems set to fight another day after a fire which burnt some of its interior.
The house, on a State Highway 2 rise near Te Mahanga Rd, Poukawa, was reported to be alight about 10.50pm on Saturday.
But yesterday from the outside there was little indication anything had changed, suggesting a prompt save by the crews from two Fire Service appliances and a tanker, which arrived soon afterwards from Hastings.
A Fire Service officer said it had been reported to police as a suspicious fire.
A popular subject for photographers, and even sought as a movie and documentary scene, it is thought to have been unoccupied for more than 40 years.