The West Coast home of Kiwi children's education icon Harold the Giraffe is up for sale after developing rust.
The West Coast Life Education Trust, a branch of the Life Education Trust charity, operates a travelling classroom that helps inform schoolkids on tricky topics like relationships, human biology and drugs. Harold the Giraffe has been its official mascot for decades.
The trust is now auctioning one of its old trailer classrooms on TradeMe, with all proceeds from the sale going towards the Life Education programme.
Built in 1991, the trailer has been in service for the West Coast trust since it was formed in 2005, right up until early this year when it was placed into retirement.
"Thousands of West Coast children have had the pleasure of sitting in this classroom for the past 18 years, its history enriched in the carpet and walls," the listing reads.
The trailer can no longer get a Certificate of Fitness, having developed "plenty of rust" on the chassis underneath.
Thirty-two branches of the Life Education Trust operate across the country, each individually responsible for raising funds and maintaining charity services.
The West Coast branch faces unique challenges with its isolation, but still manages to cover one of the country's largest geographic areas — servicing 100% of the schools from Haast to Karamea.
Despite its issues, the trust calls Harold's old home "A DIY'ers dream!!," adding that their former classrooms have been converted before from educational giraffe homes into perfectly functional human ones.
"The possibilities are endless ... We may even throw in your very own Harold soft toy!"
They note in the listing that it's their former, not current, trailer on offer and that they're continuing classroom operations out of a new one — and Harold's not out of a home.
The TradeMe auction closes on August 28 with prospective buyers informed they would have to pick it up in Hokitika and that viewings are welcomed.
As of Tuesday afternoon, bidding on the listing was sitting close to $700.
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