CONTACT:
Ben Jameson, 021 568 800, or Rebecca McEntee, 021 722 436, Bayleys.
AUCTION:
Noon August 9 at 292 Great South Rd, Takanini.
London-born Peter Forrest says if someone had told him a few years ago that he'd soon be spending his weekends in muddy gumboots, he wouldn't have believed them.
He and his partner Annette Smith were working in Manukau and renting a house in Karaka when they decided to buy a lifestyle block and try their hand at hobby farming.
In late 2012 they bought this 1.72ha property in Brian Wood Lane where they live with their 3-year-old daughter Scarlett and Annette's two girls Tarryn, 19, and Ella, 16.
They were attracted to Karaka's rural landscape and the fact that most properties have a decent amount of land.
Karaka is part of the Franklin District, between Papakura and Pukekohe, and 36km south of Auckland City.
Peter says Pukekohe has grown considerably into an attractive market town so he and Annette tend to drive 15 minutes to do their main shopping there rather than heading up the motorway to Sylvia Park.
As well as having three of its own paddocks, their property backs directly onto Haunui Farm, one of several thoroughbred farms in Karaka.
"We keep our own sheep on our property and we can also see beautiful colts, mares and yearlings on the stud farm and cattle on other neighbouring properties."
Clark's Beach is also only 15 minutes' drive away and the area has plenty of great places to walk their their dog Elsa.
Image 1 of 7: The original farmhouse has been updated and there is approval for more work.
Peter says their house was "a work in progress but liveable" when they bought it but they could see how it could be dramatically improved with a cosmetic overhaul, including some changes to the internal layout.
The original farmhouse was a single storey, brick-and-weatherboard home built in the late 1950s and later had a second storey added.
Peter and Annette's changes have included regibbing, plastering and painting several rooms, removing old carpet, polishing the tawa and matai floors, double-glazing windows and updating the open fireplace in the lounge.
They have also added a northeast-facing deck that opens off the main living areas to create better indoor-outdoor flow and make the most of the home's sunny aspect.
They have council approval for plans to create a new double, internal-access garage, laundry, an ensuite in the existing master bedroom, a media room, new kitchen and a new entrance hallway.
The ground level includes the kitchen, dining room, main lounge, main bathroom and study. Two double bedrooms are also beyond the lounge at the northwestern end of this level.
A stairway off the main hallway leads up to a master bedroom with a Juliet balcony, a second bathroom, separate shower and two more bedrooms, one of which looks west towards the Waitakere Ranges.
Some of Peter and Annette's hardest work has been outside, where they have landscaped the grounds around the house and fully fenced the property's paddocks and boundaries.
They have also planted native trees, which are starting to mature, and a small orchard that includes plum, citrus, apple, pear and feijoa trees. The family is moving to the South Island.
