The Taumarunui house where police allege baby Kahu Durie was hidden is ideally located for someone wanting to stay out of sight.
Perched near the top of a small hill, and just over 1km from the central North Island town, it is barely visible from the road below. Only one otherhouse, about 40m away, is in clear view.
The three-bedroom bungalow was yesterday a hive of police activity. When the Herald visited the area during the day, it was quiet.
The view from a house further up the hill was obscured by trees. The nte3000sq m property was unfenced, and dirty net curtains blocked any view inside the bungalow.
The lawns were freshly mown and the section was reasonably tidy apart from a few overgrown plants and a thriving vegetable garden.
A pair of newish running shoes lying on the ground behind a car parked in the carport and three tea towels hanging on a line were the only signs of habitation.
Last December, Graeme Stewart sold the house to the man accused of the kidnapping.
Mr Stewart told the Herald that the sale was finalised in mid-January.
He believed the new owner had moved in straight away.
Mr Stewart, who lives in Taupo, said he had been back to the house since selling it but had not met its new owner.
"I've been to Taumarunui a few times and knocked on the door, but there was never anyone there."
He said the house had been refurbished last October before it was sold, and with its open fireplace and large bedrooms was a comfortable place to live.
It had a relatively modern kitchen, a wide entrance corridor, three large bedrooms and a living room.
