Ostriches were what Noel and Rhonda Harris were thinking when they set their sights on this Helensville lifestyle property 16 years ago.
The couple had been living in Henderson, where they also run their printing business, when they decided to have a go at breeding the birds.
That meant moving to a house with more land and while searching in Helensville, they would drive down State Highway 16 past this property which, Noel says, had grass growing a metre high.
"I said to the real estate agent: 'Why aren't we looking at that one?'"
Noel and Rhonda have a passion for old villas and had already renovated one that had been moved from Devonport to Henderson. So they could see the potential to return this house to its former grandeur.
At 1.47ha, the level, fenced property, which came with a double garage, utility shed, two stables and four paddocks, was also perfect for their ostrich venture.
"But the ostrich industry did not take off, so we ate the three we were going to breed from," says Noel, who has found plenty of other work to do on the property since they bought it in 2000.
The footprint of the single-level Victorian villa is unchanged since it was built in 1902.
Noel and Rhonda have barely altered the internal structure but what Noel describes as their "cosmetic changes" have been extensive.
Renovations included installing a kitchen that still looks good 16 years on.
A "new" bathroom, designed to be in keeping with the villa's age, has a claw-foot bath, a pull-chain toilet and antique fittings.
Original matai floors in the hall, bedrooms and second lounge have been polished; windows installed in the 1970s have been replaced with villa-style ones and rimu doors have been fitted with Flemish coloured glass.
Lighting includes traditional Cavalier chandeliers, including a large one in the formal, carpeted lounge that highlights a magnificent original plastered ceiling rose.
Image 1 of 9: The Kaipara Harbour will be your backyard. Photos / Fiona Goodall, Getty Images
The green and cream colour palette in most rooms is also in keeping with the villa's age and Noel has painted the walls, most recently last year, with a three-coat suede finish.
Heating includes an old coal range in the dining room, an electric fire in the master bedroom and open fires in the formal and small lounges.
A return veranda wraps around the north and west sides of the house, ending at the front door, which leads into a classic central villa hallway.
To the right of the hall are two bedrooms, including the master with walk-in wardrobe and the large bathroom.
On the left are the third double bedroom, and large formal lounge, which opens to the verandah, and a smaller lounge, which leads to the open-plan dining room and farmhouse kitchen.
Off the dining room is a large laundry and second toilet. The laundry and dining room open to a large covered deck where there is a spa pool and an outdoor dining space.
The deck steps down to a barbecue area with an outdoor fireplace and also leads to a well-stocked goldfish pond, which Noel and Rhonda dug.
In their lovingly landscaped gardens they have planted peach, apple, plum, orange, grapefruit, mandarin, nectarine, guava and feijoa trees, as well as raspberry, blueberry, boysenberry and grape vines.
From a jetty at the end of the property, which backs on to the Kaipara River, you can catch fish including mullet.
Noel and Rhonda also keep pigs, cows, chickens, pigeons and two pet alpaca.
They now want to move closer to their Henderson business but plan to move to the Waikato and have a similar rural lifestyle there.
