SCHOOL ZONES:
Helensville School, Kaipara College.
CONTACT:
Robin Kerr, Harcourts, 0274 948 406.
When the Taylors were thinking of emigrating to New Zealand from England, Russell came over for a scouting mission in 2001.
He stayed with a relative in Henderson and began searching around Auckland's northwest for a lifestyle property. Kumeu seemed pricey so he looked further afield to Helensville.
He returned to England and wife Jane, armed with information about what their money might buy them in the area.
One of the brochures he came home with featured 384 Mangakura Rd but it looked like it would sell before they made the move to New Zealand the following year.
However, when they arrived and found it was on the market, they were determined to inspect the property.
As Jane says: "I had carried the brochure all the way from the UK and carried it around with me for a year so I had to go and have a look at it."
Because Jane's father wanted to make the move with them, the property seemed ideal as it had a two-bedroom cottage set apart from the main house. And being at the end of a country road, it had the privacy and peace and quiet they craved after becoming fed up with the crowds and traffic in England.
As Russell explains, the cottage was put on the property first and the owners lived there before the main house was moved on to site - possibly from the North Shore - in 1996.
When the Taylors bought in 2002, both houses had been well set up for modern living but the land around them had hardly been developed.
They have added fencing, landscaping and plants to help tie the house to its setting, which features paddocks, a stream burbling away in the background and a bush backdrop.
A smaller stream runs between the two dwellings, and Jane's father built an arched bridge over it.
Image 1 of 7: A grand entrance provides a stunning welcome to those entering this home. Photos / Ted Baghurst
Russell says over the years they have redecorated the home's interior and repainted the exterior. And they added a garage as well as extending the home to create a laundry and utility room that also works as a mud room. To do this, they mirrored the dining space that juts off the eastern end of the house and created a covered outdoor area between them.
This addition mimics the home's gabled rooflines, including that of the grand portico that welcomes visitors.
Inside, your eye is immediately drawn to the curving staircase with wrought iron balustrade that sits at the centre of the home with a large formal living and dining room off to the right behind multi-pane doors.
Wooden floors flow from this space through to the informal living room, while the adjoining kitchen and dining area are defined by tiled floors. All the living and dining spaces along this side of the house open out to a partially covered deck that stretches along the face of the house and looks over the stream and out to the bush. This side of the house catches the afternoon sun.
Downstairs there are two bedrooms and the main bathroom, while upstairs there are three more bedrooms. One of them has a small en suite, while the master has a large bathroom and opens out to its own deck with the same outlook over the stream and bush as the deck below.
Winding its way through the property, the bush-fringed stream has a small swimming hole and was a favourite spot for the Taylors' boys.
Russell says they've enjoyed the peaceful setting and birdlife, and have run a couple of cows on the land, which would also suit ponies.
On the other side of the house, a fork in the driveway serves the two-bedroom cottage, which also has a carport, and enjoys its own private setting. French doors open to a wrap-around veranda, with a north-facing deck having views over the countryside.
"Jane's dad would sit out here in the sun enjoying the view and a glass of beer," says Russell.
More recently, the cottage has been rented out so new owners could keep doing the same for rental income or use it for extended family.
With one of their two sons overseas, Jane and Russell are looking to downsize. Having run the MacNut Cafe at South Head when they first got here and after working at Kaipara College, they have built up a network of friends, so want to stay in the area.
