Peter and Val Waterhouse are a couple of adventurers. When they travel overseas, they never book hotels in advance, preferring to hire a car and stay wherever the fancy takes them.
They're applying that same sense of adventure to their search for a new property but, in the meantime, they're happy in their current home and there's no great urgency to move.
In fact, it might take some time to find the perfect spot, since their last search took them from Pakiri in the north to Kawakawa Bay south of Auckland, and nothing rang bells until they found this acreage at Warkworth.
"When we saw it, it was a bolt out of the blue," Peter says. "It was three acres, hilly, with native bush, and accessed by a farm track which was really only good for a tractor."
Peter thought the hilliness of the site might have put other buyers off, but he knew it would be relatively easy to make a flat area for the house and garden.
More than 2000cu m of soil were cut out for the house site and used to form the driveway through the bush. "So then we had a flat piece of land and a driveway. Perfect," Peter says.
They wanted a house that would suit the rural block, and the two fencible cottages on display at Howick Historical Village gave them some ideas.
They called on Jeremy Salmond, an architect who specialises in the conservation of historic buildings, for help, and he advised on proportions, and the right feel and look. The result was a design that emulated three fencible cottages and gave Peter and Val a flexible configuration of a five-bedroom, three-bathroom home.
"Don't shy away from the idea of using an architect, even if it's just for a day," Peter counsels. "Even the small things Jeremy suggested, such as swinging the garage around at right angles, made a real difference."
The house is pine weatherboard, which enhances its early settler look, and Peter incorporated other features such as 3.5m-high ceilings, over-height doors and windows, lights above the doors, loft rooms and a serious open fireplace in the living room.
"We'd always wanted a wood-fired oven in the kitchen so we put one of those in as well as a conventional oven and cooktop, and we use it all through the winter. We cook on it, it heats the water and keeps the house warm and it's totally useful."
The house has a concrete floor, which provides passive solar heating. It's cut into 800mm x 800mm squares to resemble flagstones and are perfect for a family with two dogs.
Practicality aside, the aesthetics of this home are unlike many contemporary houses. It's a pretty house outside and in, with soft blue kitchen cabinets, honey coloured timber benches and pale honey floors. Plush rugs and luxurious drapes further contribute to the feel of warm country living.
Image 1 of 5: 27 Clements Hill Lane, Warkworth.
Outside, the landscaping has been designed to suit the rural setting.
The flat area is mostly lawn, and they've added garden beds near the house, several olive trees and four big raised vegetable gardens with edges broad enough to sit on and watch the garden grow. There's also a sizeable pond planted with water lilies, rushes and marginal plants, but Peter will be happy enough to exchange that for a seaside location.
"We might look around Orewa. I'd like to be by the sea. In terms of the house, the options are wide open. It could be a new build or an existing house. A California bungalow is sounding good at the moment. Whichever, it'll be an adventure."
