KEY POINTS:
A couple combined their love of food and good company by running a B&B.
Cotswold Cottage, 46 Maramarahi Rd, Thames.
While searching for a base for their event catering business, Jane Redfern and John de Lautour were told they should take a look at Cotswold Cottage.
``We were looking for a place about 90 minutes out of Auckland for our catering business,'' says Jane. ``We drove up the drive and I fell in love with it straight away.''
The home is a kauri villa that was removed from a section in Epsom and shifted on to the Totara Plain site in 1991. The land was originally part of a farm and then an orchard run by a Dalmatian family.
The villa was restored and redeveloped as a restaurant and opened a year later. It was then turned into a B&B with the addition of a guest wing - three bedrooms with en suites and a conservatory. Jane and John bought the property four years ago.
``This property has a lot of potential because it still has a large commercial kitchen from its restaurant days, so you could hold parties, functions or weddings here if you wanted to expand the business,'' says Jane.
``We're also in a lot of the good guide books such as the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet so we get a lot of business through them.''
The house is surrounded by lawns and its elevation affords views over the Kauaeranga River and Thames, which is about five minutes' drive away. There's a dovecote in the grounds and a jetty at the bottom of the property where you can launch a dinghy into the river or go kayaking.
The guest rooms, which have their own entrance, are decorated in keeping with the character of the home. There are two rooms with queen-size beds, while the other has king-size singles. One of the rooms has a spa and an extra single bed.
Jane and John have their bedroom in the original house and share the large open plan dining room and lounge with guests. The dining room has French doors out to the verandah and views over the river, while the lounge has a woodburner.
The conservatory adjoins the dining room and has timber panelling and sarked ceilings - and wonderful views up the valley.
Jane and John opened up the old bar area to the kitchen by knocking out a wall and they use this as their small sitting room. They also added a large deck to the rear of the house where they do barbecuing for themselves and the guests.
The couple enjoy cooking local produce for guests such as mussels, snapper, flounder and venison.
``And you can always sit down with a glass of wine and have a yack to the guests about their travels,'' says Jane.
While Jane and John plan to continue their catering business, they are looking to reduce their other commitments.
Jane says, ``We're in our 60s now so we want to buy something a bit smaller, but it is with some regret that we'll be making the move.''
VITAL STATISTICS
BEDROOMS: 4
BATHROOMS: 4
GARAGES: 2
SIZE: Land 3156sq m, house 270sq m (approx).
PRICE: $799,000 plus GST if any.
INSPECT: By appointment.
ON THE WEB: www.open2view.com # 136911
CONTACT: Ruth Couch or Prue Furkert, PGG Wrightson Real Estate Thames, ph Ruth 07 867 9587 bus, 0274 754 403; Prue 07 867 9595 bus, 021 833 022.
FEATURES: Restored and extended kauri villa run as a B&B with commercial kitchen and three guest rooms with en suites.
