Dating from the 1840s, Arapawaiti is the oldest surviving building in the Kapiti region. Although modified extensively over the years, its original basic shape form is still discernable. Known as the Ferry Inn, as well as Arapawaiti (meaning the paths of little puffs of smoke), it was built by Tom Wilson, who had originally come to the Kapiti Coast as a whaler. The inn was sited on land owned by his wife Hanake (Wiremu Te Awawa), adjacent to the Waikanae River, and on the main route from Wellington to Wanganui. Following Wilson's death in 1878, the couple's daughter Hannah and Hannah's second husband Henry Field took over the running of the property. Field was a surveyor, and later member of the Hutt County Council and Member of Parliament. The Fields converted the building into a guesthouse and ran a sheep farm on the surrounding land. The house remained in the ownership of one of the descendants of the family until 1990.

The building was originally constructed with pit-sawn timber and hand-made nails. Matai was used for the studs, weatherboards and flooring, and totara for the shingled roof. The weatherboards are now covered with Durock veneer, all original windows have been modernised and others added. The roof is now clad in corrugated iron and the verandah enclosed. Internally the house still retains the original steep staircase and small upstairs rooms.

Although much altered, Arapawaiti is historically very significant as the oldest surviving building in the Kapiti region. Its earliest history as a ferry inn makes it very rare. Few other buildings of this type survive to this day. Its significance is enhanced by its association with Tom and Hanake Wilson, and with the Fields, who became one of the region's more notable families.