SCHOOL ZONES:
Kerikeri High School, Springbank College, Riverview School
CONTACT:
Charlie Brendon-Cook, 0212 444 888, Luxury Real Estate
Richard Salmon, whose background is in finance, is loving living in the Cayman Islands but the 70-year-old misses his Kerikeri house which looks out across the water to the Bay of Islands.
The views are stunning. Richard and his family lived in the Martyn Evans-designed house for nine or 10months of the year for 10 years.
To make the most of the house, Richard thinks it helps to have a certain lifestyle and while he doesn't describe himself as a jet setter, he does admit to not stinting on the good things in life.
This flowed into the Kerikeri house, where every detail has been taken care of.
"I think one of the things we did is we built a house that is probably a bit unusual for New Zealand," he says. "It's a bit sophisticated really, but I didn't realise it at the time. We just built it for our lifestyle."
Security and privacy were paramount to Richard, so the house is gated and can't be seen from the street.
It's built into the hillside because he didn't want people pointing and saying, 'Who lives in that house?'
"You just sort of blend in. I don't like standing out like a sore thumb and it doesn't do that at all."
Image 1 of 7: Attention to detail and incredible view makes home an entertainer's paradise. Photos / supplied
While privacy was important, so too was entertaining as Richard is very sociable. He likes that you can open the gates for your dinner guests then watch for them on the security monitor in the kitchen and pop out to greet them before they even get to knock on a front door that is so big that several people can walk through at once.
Before building this house, Richard owned another house on the same road but says he hankered after this spot.
When the owner of the property downsized he flew straight back from Britain and bought the house, which he promptly knocked down.
"I just bought the location, absolutely. I loved that the view was absolutely stunning and the fact it was only 10 minutes from civilisation and that there were a lot of very nice people living nearby.
"My thing is, and, you know, we're all different, but when I go and live in a thing I go, 'Well, who the hell am I going to invite for dinner?'"
The dining room is hence a very special room. It has a sunken floor so you can look into the flames of the fire lit in the baronial fireplace Richard placed at one end of the room, and the ceiling is glass so you can sit under the stars.
His favourite place is the library and he loves the jarrah hardwood throughout.
The house is built from Oamaru stone and is a mix of family spaces and formal spaces, all with stunning water views, and there are many, many special features -- from internal minstrel galleries to stone planters and finials imported from Britain, to jets in the swimming pool and green elements such as solar panels.
The lounge opens up to a huge deck that easily fits a cocktail party of 70 or 80 people and there is a guest suite with its own views and privacy.
Richard says his family has grown up and you only get one life -- "I'm one of these chaps who wanders around a bit. If you can live in different places I think it's nice to do it."
