Lake Taupo: Get to the point

Graham Hepburn talks to a former farmer who built his own luxury home in a gated estate and, over the page, looks at the rise of this style of living in New Zealand.

No 3 The Point, Acacia Bay Rd, Lake Taupo.

The Point is one of the most prestigious addresses in the country, but Janet and Warwick Martin bought into the exclusive gated estate on Lake Taupo as a compromise.

"Before we came here we left a farm in the King Country," says Warwick. "I like the isolation of the bush whereas Janet is not really a farm girl; she loves the comforts of the town around her."

With the lodge-style home that Warwick built on their waterfront site at The Point, the Martins get the benefits of town and country. The 24ha development, on Whakamoenga Point, is about 10 minutes drive from Taupo, which suits Janet. It also has 4ha laid out in lawns and gardens plus a further 13.5ha of regenerating bush, which suits Warwick.

"When we were living in the King Country our closest neighbour was about 5km away so you never had to worry about privacy," says Warwick. "The beautiful thing about this development is all the sites are designed so they're enclosed by a buffer of bush. You can be completely private if you want to. Plus there are some beautiful little bush walks which are lit very softly at night."

He says it was these factors and the fact that he thought it would be a good investment that attracted him to The Point. The security aspect of living on a gated estate did not have much bearing.

Warwick, who says he has always been a fan of traditional rooflines, built the couple's solid masonry home in the style of a Queenstown lodge.

"It's similar to a lot of houses down south where your views are to the south but you want to open the house up to the north," he says.

Those views to the south are panoramic: across Lake Taupo to Mt Ruapehu from a deck that runs along the rear of the house.

Warwick and Janet bought their section in 2001 and built the bulk of the house the following year. Warwick first built the quadruple garage with its self-contained accommodation on top, and he and Janet lived there while he finished the rest of the house.

The large home with its open plan living areas and macrocarpa-sarked ceilings has a Tulikivi fire from Finland as its centrepiece. The fire is surrounded by three tonnes of stone that holds and radiates heat. The fire faces the living area while the pizza oven that backs on to it faces the kitchen.

"That pizza oven is absolutely fantastic for entertaining, says Warwick. "It'll stay hot for four hours and you can fire pizzas in every five minutes and just keep going until everyone's full."

Warwick says The Point offers a great lifestyle with its communal functions room, The Pavilion, tennis courts and two boat ramps.

"You never have to wait to launch your boat."

But you don't even have to launch your boat if you want to do some fishing. Warwick says you can fly-fish for trout off The Point itself.

"When you're standing out on the deck you not only get these constantly changing views, but you can see trout rising just below you."

With their two sons having left home, Warwick and Janet feel the need to downsize.

"We're rattling around in here," says Warwick. "We have two guest wings here and we basically live in the middle portion."

And they just happen to have their eyes on some other land at The Point, a bit further back from the lake, where they could build something a little smaller.

Vital Statistics

SIZE: Land 1350sq m + 1/47th share in 13ha (more or less), house 494sq m (approx).

PRICE: $2.5 million. Body corporate $2500 plus gst.

INSPECT: Digital video movie tour or view by appointment.

CONTACT: Jane Bond, Harcourts Remuera, ph 520 6114 bus, 021 773 003 mob.

FEATURES: Three-level home with lift, two areas of self-contained accommodation, spa pool, and Tulikivi fire & pizza oven. Lakefront property with bush walks through commonly held conservation park, and the use of helipad, tennis courts, functions centre, chip'n'putt golf holes, two boat ramps, boat park. Security gate at entrance. Caretaker lives on site.