373 Mystery Creek Rd, Kaipaki. Photo / Supplied
A love of horses attracted Raewyn Yovich and her husband to this lifestyle property at Kaipaki in the Waikato.
And it's likely the land, with its fenced paddocks, stables and loose boxes, will also appeal to other people with horses or other stock, says Raewyn.
When the couple moved here in 1987, they shifted an old home off the property and lived in the garage while their Lockwood home was built.
It is almost 30 years to the day since they moved in, says Raewyn.
"We moved down from the north to Kaipaki mainly because of horses. We both had a love of horses and my husband was a jockey and he did his apprenticeship here at Te Awamutu and Matamata."
They lived in the Lockwood, with three bedrooms, for a decade and then extended the home, still using Lockwood for the design — to keep the style consistent.
The home, now with four bedrooms, is built of pine and aluminium, with a Colorsteel roof. Inside, the concrete floors are covered with cork tiles and carpet. For heating there is a wood burner and heat pump in the living and TV room, and a gas fire in the lounge/dining room.
But the first impressions of the property are the stylish electric gates at the roadside, opening to the long, magnolia-lined driveway.
"These have lovely big white-scented flowers," says Raewyn.
The driveway passes the lush grass of the fenced paddocks — testament to the fertile Waikato soil. "It's easy to grow just about anything here," says Raewyn.
The home is set off by mature gardens with magnificent shrubs and trees — including plane and willow trees.
Ranch sliders open from the rooms to the terrace and the 7m solar-powered saltwater pool, a great place to cool down after working outside on warm summer days, she says.
"That would be my favourite spot, sitting out by the pool on that side of the house, facing north, in the evening."
Inside the home, the main living areas have the option of being opened for a continuous flow or closed off using bifold doors.
There is a large, Sandra Grummitt-designed kitchen that the couple added when they extended the living space and added a bedroom. The cabinetry is European beech with a granite bench top, and there is a Parmco oven, Miele induction cooktop, Smeg downdraft range hood and Miele dishwasher.
Raewyn says her home is comfortable and easy to live in. "It's not conventional, it's not contemporary." As you come in the front door, there is an island centre of storage — including coat and linen cupboards — behind bifold doors.
You can go left to the lounge and dining area, and fourth bedroom/office.
Turning the other way takes you to the living room (with TV and wood burner and heat pump), kitchen, three bedrooms plus the two bathrooms (one is an en suite, the other has a spa bath). Raewyn has kept to a neutral colour scheme to complement the wood with cream doors and beige carpets.
Other buildings on the property include a four-bay implement shed, a truck shed, two stables and horse boxes, plus a pump house as the property has its own water supply from a bore.
The home looks out to its rural neighbourhood — views include the lush green paddocks, the hills in the distance framed by trees and hedging.
Further along the road is Hamilton Airport and the Mystery Creek centre — a bonus is that residents on the road are given free passes to the annual Mystery Creek show, says Raewyn.
The home sits in the area real estate agents refer to as Waikato's golden triangle, central to Cambridge, Te Awamutu and Hamilton.
"The location is special," says Raewyn. "Cambridge is about 10km away, Hamilton would be 15, You can go north, south, east, or west. You have the beaches, too — it's not far to go to Waihi Beach or Raglan — about an hour's drive from here.
"And I am still riding, and I love going trekking." Raewyn says it's time to sell now; the intention is to move to a smaller property.
"I think the next owner will be someone who likes riding horses, who would like a place to keep horses. Or lifestylers. Or a retired farmer. And, for business people, it is close to go to the airport or to Hamilton."
Be prepared to go remote and get creative.