This cottage was probably built in 1877 by Antonio Rodrigues, who came to Akaroa from the Portuguese island of Madeira (see Chez La Mer and the Madeira Hotel).
Antonio appears to have initially rented the cottage out but it was subsequently occupied by his son, prior to his separation from his wife in 1890.
It is a typical New Zealand colonial cottage with a gabled roof and a lean-to at its rear. The roof of the verandah continues the line of the main roof, but at an altered pitch. The simple wooden brackets on the verandah posts and the division of the double-hung windows into six small panes suggest it was built earlier rather than later and it may date from before Antonio Rodrigues became owner of the property.
