A little bit of history

No 63 Ottawa Road circa 1987

One of the things newcomers to Ngaio Natural Health Centre comment on is what a beautiful building we have, how cosy and homely it is - and with good reason because for much of its life this building has been a family home.
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Built in 1937 the villa was a home to 3 families up until the 1980s.  In 1987 Richard (our retired local pharmacist) and his business partners at Bioswiss Ltd bought the property from Mr & Mrs Crowthers, who lived here until they were ready to move to a retirement residence. 

Changes were made to the building to turn it into a commercial space.  However, it has retained much of it character, for example: the wooden doors, banisters and an outside toilet. 

Between 1987 and 2010, 63 Ottawa Road was home to Kip McGrath, Porse, a couple of local architectural companies, and it was even a kitchen showroom for a short time.

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Ngaio Natural Health Centre 2018

When Ngaio Natural Health Centre opened in February 2010 we had the two downstairs rooms and reception.  By the end of that year we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to extend to the upstairs and inhabit the whole building.

Moving out of the city to set up a new practice in the suburbs felt like a big step.  When we found this place in Ngaio it felt right and the Centre started to take on a life of its own. 

Eight years later and I still love walking through the front door.  My seven year old son has grown up with this place and it certainly feels like a second home to him - here's what he thought needed to be said on the new website:

• The art of life
  
• The place to relax
  
• The place that feels like home
  
• Ngaio Natural Health Centre has nice furniture
  
• If you would like something to eat you can just pop to the cafe​

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Claire Rees
Business owner
Ngaio Natural Health Centre