Retiring from a kiwifruit and avocado orchard in Katikati, Philo bought the house in late 2016. It had been built in the 1990s by an older couple for their retirement.
Philo has always lived in the country. He liked the style of the house and its rural feeling.
It came with 1ha of land, and a further hectare that is set down for an unformed road along the river.
The daily cruises of the PS Waimarie can be watched from a veranda. Photo / Bevan Conley
"We have 2 hectares of land, but only 1 hectare is ours."
Two horses graze the land. It also has a pole that marks the starting point for rowing races and a flagpole, where the New Zealand flag is always flying.
"The winds beat them to death in about six months," he said.
The river provides lots of amusement - logs that come down and then are pushed up again by the tide, wild ducks that come to be fed, chattering girls out training for rowing races and daily whiffs of coal smoke as the PS Waimarie passes.
"We've got half a kilometre of river frontage. I don't think there's anywhere else in town with that much."
The Awa Piko house in Riverbank Rd has half a kilometre of Whanganui River frontage. Photo / Bevan Conley
During a rowing race a marquee is set up on the Somme Pde bank opposite, and announcements are made.
"One of these days I'm going to buy a loud hailer and shout back at him."
Other visitors are pukeko, paradise ducks and spur-winged plovers, and a single resident seagull that stops by to see whether there is food out for him.
"He is enormous. He flies past the window on his side, looking in."
The house was built around 1992 and Philo said it would not be suitable for a family.
He has made most of the changes, and was a surprised that his house is one of the six Beautiful Homes finalists.
*Six finalists in Beautiful Homes Whanganui competition will be featured in the Chronicle between March 22 and 27. To vote for your favourite visit the Ray White Whanganui website at rwwhanganui.co.nz.
