Silverdale: A house that breathes

Handcrafted in wood and set in park-like grounds, this home has many stories to tell.

Bob Woolston is a man who knows wood. Born and raised in the heart of the King Country, he spent the greater part of his working life among the giants of the New Zealand forest.

When it came to creating his dream home and property with his wife, Pam, on the banks of Duck Creek at Silverdale, it was no surprise that timber would feature so prominently.

Everywhere you look in and around the timeless single-level home, there is beautiful wood - from the cedar exterior and roof shingles, to the robust, historic beams and handcrafted doors.

Outside the house is 5ha of private wonderland - a magnificent spread of trees and plants, both native and exotic, that stands as a testament to Bob and Pam's passion for forest and garden.

Over the last 20 years, the couple have hand-planted around 30,000 trees on their grounds, and can wander through the lush growth pointing out every species and its vintage. When they originally bought the farmland on Duck Creek, at the upper reaches of the Weiti River, it was a bare valley, devoid of trees.

The house was built 10 years ago, based on a home the couple saw in the north-west of the US, while visiting a daughter living there. "It was in a little town not far from a place called Stillwater," says Pam. "Just like here, our little town of Stillwater is just down the river. We love the house because it is timeless. I don't think it will ever age."

Bob, who began working in the logging industry when he was 22, went on a nationwide search for recycled timber, and found pieces which have their own stories to tell. The mighty kauri beam in the kitchen once stood in the old Whangarei Post Office, and Oregon beams in the conservatory are from the Moerewa freezing works.

Planks of heart rimu that grace the floors were salvaged from the old Westfield freezing works in South Auckland. The Woolstons' son-in-law, boatbuilder Rob Williams, laid the exquisite floors, which do not bare a single nail hole.

Every internal door in the home, including the wardrobes, was specially handmade from solid rimu.

The many living areas in this home - dining room, conservatory, family room and formal lounge - all have cedar-aluminium bifold doors, which take in views of the river and the bubbling stream that meanders past one side of the house.

Up on the roof, the shingles of natural Canadian cedar "breathe", rising and falling with the heat of the day.

The house also has a one-bedroom flat, which Pam says could be used as a homestay. "There's so much to do here, with the walking tracks and the river. Living here is like being on a holiday."

Walking through the property is like visiting a secluded nature sanctuary. When you drive through the electronic gates down a wide, sealed driveway, you are flanked by thousands of different examples of flora and fauna. Among the trees are kauri, rimu, kowhai, kaiwaka, Chatham Island nikau, sequoia, spruce and norfolk pines. Bob planted around 400 of the pines here - his great grandfather left Norfolk, England, for New Zealand in 1839. The original farm on which the property lies is known as Norfolk Downs.

Tui, morepork, kereru and ring-tailed pigeons also call this home, and ducks come up the river to steal acorns from beneath the oak trees.

With nothing but his bare hands and a shovel, Bob has created kilometres of walkways dotted with wooden bridges and rock pools. Looking down towards the house is a seat crafted from an ancient kauri log, which Bob rescued from the estuary, but not without a fight. "It was much heavier than I thought, and it almost carried me out to sea," he chuckles.

He has even built the two wharves and a large slipway down on the river, where the grandchildren and their friends go kayaking and fishing. Stand here a moment and you will spy kingfish and mullet leaping out of the water.

There is a grassy spot on a knoll on the property overlooking the river on which the Woolstons had planned to build a manager's cottage, but time has escaped them.

Now in their 70s, Bob and Pam admit "time isn't waiting" for them. But it is not that they can no longer maintain the grounds. This sprightly couple are always looking for new challenges. "As you get older, you have to be amused. You need a decent challenge in your life to keep you going," says Bob. They are moving back to the Bay of Plenty, where they have children and grandchildren, and Bob expects he will buy more land to turn their green hands to, and keep them young.

Vital Statistics

ADDRESS: Lot 16, 82 Lennon Access Rd, Silverdale.

FEATURES: Large three-bedroom cedar and shingle home with one-bedroom flat; rimu floors and extensive timber features; spacious kitchen; family room; dining; conservatory; lounge with Brazilian granite fireplace; master bedroom with walk-in wardrobe through to large en suite; double garage with internal access to house and self-contained flat; half to full tide jetty with 6m beam and visitors' berth and 18m slipway; park-like grounds planted in native and exotic trees; walkways; bridges and rock pools; gated security access; water bore; tractor shed; 15 minutes from open water of the Hauraki Gulf.

SIZE: Land area 5.574ha; house floor area approx 370sq m.

PRICE: Expressions of interest around $3.25 million.

AGENTS: David Nightingale and Joanne Mimmack, Harcourts, Browns Bay. Ph 477 0848 bus; David 027 272 949 mob; Joanne 027 496 5429 mob.