Coatesville: Pastures new

A country estate north of Auckland reminded a family of their former home in England, and helped them launch a new life in New Zealand.

11 Donaldson Drive, Coatesville.

Tony Wills lived in England for 19 years before bringing his English wife Kim and their two daughters home to New Zealand to live.

The family had most recently lived in the Surrey countryside, so when Tony rounded the bend in the drive of this Coatesville manor and saw the green hills rolling into the distance, he felt like this could be home.

The grand, century-old homestead also had a self-contained apartment attached, ideal for Kim's mother who at the time was also planning to move out from England.

"We'd started off looking at homes near Cheltenham beach," recalls Tony, "But couldn't find any with that kind of separate accommodation. Then we saw a story on this place in the Herald and thought we'd come and have a look."

That was three years ago, and since then the couple and their daughters, Natasha, 12, and Emma, 16, have settled right into New Zealand life, and Coatesville in particular.

"There's a strong community spirit here," says Kim. "Natasha went to the local primary school and they really embraced her."

Natasha says one of the things she likes most about where they live is that all her friends are only a five minute walk away.

The house is settled at the top of 3 ha of land that falls away into a bush-filled gully, and to a shared pond. Tony has grazed three or four cattle around the paddocks, and recently accepted a neighbouring farmer's approach to let his cattle keep the grass down. Previous owners have had horses here, and the old stables remain behind what is now the pool shed.

Tony and Kim have done a lot of restoration of the house in the time they've been here. Twelve layers of paint were stripped off its exterior so the bare wood would accept a new colour. The house has been re-roofed, had joinery replaced where needed, the bathrooms refitted, and the whole interior repainted.

Kim planted natives on a bank behind the flat rear lawn, framed by a mixture of trees including a gum, a kauri and a silver fern.

"The natives have encouraged the birds up from the bush," says Kim. "There are tui, kingfishers, pukeko and moreporks at night."

On the middle, entry level of the three level house is a formal dining room, formal lounge, and a casual lounge next to the kitchen and family dining area. Along the hall are the girls' bedrooms, a guest bedroom and a luxury bathroom with a huge double bath. The two-storey apartment at the end can be closed off from the rest of the house. There are two bedrooms and two bathrooms in here, plus a laundry, kitchen, dining and living area. It would suit an extended family member, or could be used as homestay or bed and breakfast accommodation.

The downstairs level contains a huge home theatre/rumpus room with a bathroom off it. This and the apartment have their own external access.

Upstairs is a study and the master suite, including his and hers walk-in wardrobes and an en suite. The bedroom opens onto a balcony overlooking the hills.

"On a misty morning it's like looking across a sea of cloud, with only the tops of the hills poking through," says Kim. "When it's really still we have hot air balloons sailing over. We can even hear them releasing the hot air up into the balloon."

The family is moving on for a number of reasons. Kim's mother's decision not to move out means the house is far bigger than they need; Tony's work in town is getting busier; and as the girls get older he and Kim find they spend most of their weekends in Auckland city.

"It's been fantastic here," says Kim. "But the place now needs a family who can make more use of it."

"On a misty morning it's like looking across a sea of cloud, with only the tops of the hills poking through," says Kim. "When it's really still we have hot air balloons sailing over. We can even hear them releasing the hot air up into the balloon."The family is moving on for a number of reasons. Kim's mother's decision not to move out means the house is far bigger than they need; Tony's work in town is getting busier; and as the girls get older he and Kim find they spend most of their weekends in Auckland city."It's been fantastic here," says Kim. "But the place now needs a family who can make more use of it."

Vital Statistics

BEDROOMS: 6

BATHROOMS: 5+

GARAGE: 2+

SIZE: Land 3ha, house 500sq m.

PRICE: $2.795 million.

INSPECT: Phone for viewing times.

CONTACT: Jo Lanigan, Bayleys, ph 027 279 5468, 414 0957.

FEATURES: Elegant three level homestead on land including pasture, bush and pond. Two woodburning fireplaces. Separate study, rumpus room/home theatre, formal lounge, formal dining as well as family lounge and dining. Self-contained apartment containing two bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, dining and living area. Pool.