Living in London felt too overcrowded and polluted for Fraser and Ute Partridge, so they settled in New Zealand to bring up their daughter Charlie, who is almost 3.
German-born Ute and English-born Fraser were already familiar with New Zealand after making several trips here for holidays and work before they immigrated in 2014, soon after Charlie was born.
"We had always wanted to live in the Southern Hemisphere and we realised that once Charlie got into the school system in the UK we would get stuck there."
The couple bought an office and an apartment in downtown Auckland when they arrived.
But this sweeping, property at Ti Point, just over an hour's drive north of Auckland, has been their main home since they finally got Overseas Investment Office approval to buy it two years ago.
"We were overseas when we saw the property online so we sent a buying agent we were working with to look at it. He was so completely bowled over by how beautiful it was that we made an offer without seeing it ourselves," says Ute.
The local Haslam family previously owned the property, which is in two titles. They had built an architecturally designed house, garage and cottage on the larger 16.75ha property where they also established a vineyard and horse arena.
The smaller 3.1ha property includes a barn house with a mezzanine level where the vineyard manager and his family live.
Since Ute and Andrew have owned both properties, they have reduced the size of the vineyard to one hectare - about a third of its original size - to make it more cost effective to run as a boutique winery.
30 Tairere Road, Ti Point. Photo / Supplied
They grow merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot grape varieties and are starting to produce wines, including their trademark white merlot, under the Tram Car Bay label, which is named after a bay in Ti Point's Whangateau Harbour.
Two old tram cars there also inspired the design of the house, cottage and garage which have high, curved wooden ceilings.
The 280sq m house and adjoining two-storey garage have breathtaking views across the vineyard to Omaha Beach and over rolling rural hills to the southeast.
30 Tairere Road, Ti Point. Photo / Supplied
"At low tide we can walk to Omaha Beach and at high tide we can kayak there," says Ute.
Ti Point lies northeast of Omaha Beach, south of Leigh and includes Matheson's Bay on its eastern coastline.
"Matheson's Bay is our nearest beach. It is two minutes' drive away and it is glorious."
As well as its striking curved ceilings, the main, three-bedroom, two bathroom house features polished rimu floors, floor-to-ceiling sliding doors and windows, a wetback heating system and wide, protected outdoor decks that open off the open plan living space.
30 Tairere Road, Ti Point. Photo / Supplied
The cottage - which Ute uses as a Pilates studio - includes one large bedroom and a recently renovated kitchen and bathroom.
