Ramarama: Who Bought That House?

Briardale, 23 Maxted Road, Ramarama.

Sold by: Heather Fewtrell, Barfoot & Thompson, ph 239 1008 or 0274 954 775.

After 30 years farming in Wiltshire, England, New Zealander Bronwyn Fergusson and her English husband John decided it was time to come back to the good life in New Zealand. But they haven't left farming behind entirely: their new property in Ramarama comes complete with a small flock of Suffolk sheep.

"I think they're more roly-poly pet lambs than economic units," laughs Brownwyn, who farmed 600 sheep and 200 dairy cows on her 400ha family farm in England. "But the house is in a beautiful setting with mature trees, and flat land with a stream meandering through it. There are even doves. It couldn't be more perfect," she says.

The couple were beginning to despair they'd ever find their dream property. They spent five intense weeks back in February starting their search, before emigrating permanently in July. Bronwyn reckons she knows every property in the district.

Then agent Heather Fewtrell of Barfoot & Thompson said she had the perfect place, and as soon as Bronwyn drove down the tree-lined driveway she just knew it felt right.

Depression followed a fraught auction, where the property was passed in. "John had left for Rwanda, where he is coordinating events for an international Christian ministry, leaving me with the chequebook and racking up some very expensive phone bills," says Bronwyn.

Fortunately negotiations continued after the auction and a deal was made.

"I'm now off to the Ellerslie Flower Show for inspiration for the garden," says Bronwyn, a keen gardener who shivered her way around Chelsea this year. The couple move in on December 16 and already have friends and relations from England planning their visits.