Green appeal clear in tropical tribute

Photo / Supplied.

RAWHITI, 14 RAWHITIROA RD, KOHIMARAMA, AUCKLAND

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SIZE: Land 2317sqm, house 437sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: CV $3.24 million. Expressions of interest close 4pm on November 4 (unless sold prior).

INSPECT: By appointment.

ON THE WEB: www.bayleys.co.nz

SCHOOL ZONES: Kohimarama School, Selwyn College.

CONTACT: David Rainbow or Joneen Smith, Bayleys, ph 520 8888, 021 923 364 (David), 021 464 557 (Joneen)

FEATURES: Spectacular three-storey home with cedar joinery and polished concrete throughout. Generous terraces with harbour views, swimming pool, spa and tennis court, all set in park-like grounds. Downstairs is a self-contained area with separate kitchen, laundry, sauna, spacious living and wine cellar/tasting room. Rooms networked with CAT6 cabling.

What started as a simple quest to find a family home with a tennis court in the eastern suburbs turned into something of an odyssey for Peter and his wife.

When they couldn't find anything suitable for themselves and their two children, they decided to buy a large north-facing property, remove the old cottage on it and build new.

Peter says they worked closely with architect John Lamplough to produce a home that was inspired by houses in the Bermuda archipelago.

"They were very much the model in many ways," says Peter, "with their twin verandas and being solidly built to withstand hurricanes, plus they have to have their own water tanks because there is no water on the islands."

Eighteen months were spent designing the home, which then took three years to build.

"As the project started, it developed a life of its own," says Peter. "We started building at the end of 2000 and we moved in in 2002 but construction went on until 2003."

Rawhiti ("East") is built from solid-plastered HotBloc and cedar, with basalt used in outdoor walls and the chimney to provide a home of substance. Solid concrete terraces, steps (internal and external) and chunky flagstones around the pool add to the feeling of permanence. The roof is copper, while the metal balustrades inside and out are sprayed with molten zinc for long life.

As Peter says: "Our idea of a sustainable home is one that is going to be here for a very long time. We thought, 'Do it once, do it right'."

Energy efficiency was also part of the architect's brief, so the home has been designed around passive solar principles, with glazing to the north and solid concrete terraces releasing heat when you sit outdoors at night.

As well as the underground water tank, used for irrigating the garden and flushing toilets, the home boasts other environmentally friendly features such as a shallow shelf in the swimming pool that heats up in the sun and warms the water, and a vent on the south side of the home that draws cool air up and into the home when needed. Provision has also been made for a solar panel to be installed.

Peter says landscaping was also a major consideration and most of the planting around the house, swimming pool and floodlit tennis court was completed before the house was finished. The pay-off is that the grounds now look established - from the manicured totara hedge outside the home's entrance to the nikau beside the tennis court.

It's from the tennis court that you appreciate the size of the home, with its striking cedar-lined roof cantilevered to the east. Inside, though, the spaces have an easy flow and a warmth thanks to the matai flooring and cedar joinery, panelling and ceilings.

"They're pretty normal-sized spaces, the rooms, but the way John has stacked them up creates the scale," observes architect Conway Brooks, who was also involved with the project.

Entry is at the middle level, with the kitchen opening to a patio on the eastern end with harbour views. The kitchen, off which there is a TV room and an office, is adjacent to the dining room, which flows through to the living room. Both these rooms open out to the covered terrace and water views.

Upstairs, all three bedrooms and a lounge/office feature beautiful built-in cedar wardrobes. Two of the rooms open to the terrace, while the large master bedroom has its own east-facing balcony and an en suite featuring a shower with harbour views.

The lower level of the home has been designed as a granny flat with its own kitchen and bathroom, as well as a sauna and changing room for the pool. Beside the stairs is a beautifully fitted-out, temperature-controlled wine cellar.

Having created a lasting legacy in this home, Peter has turned his energies to an even greater vision: developing a wildlife sanctuary on about 1900ha of land at Pelorus Sound.