"We wanted to capture the view, obviously. We designed the house with a window at the front that looks over the beaches. We also wanted a lot of outdoor-indoor flow so we could take a bit of outside inside. We are in a covenanted bush area so there is no garden as such. The idea was to have decks for our outdoor living.
"The other thing we wanted was family and guest accommodation, so we could have our family up here, we have two daughters, and our friends. The plan was to keep the bedrooms separated so we could put privacy between people.
"And we designed it to have privacy from the neighbours so any building near us would not look towards us, we would look around them."
Trevor and Lorna settled on a Mediterranean style for the home -- clad with linear weatherboard with a concrete tile roof -- as they liked the easy flow of homes in Italy and other areas around the Mediterranean. The build was finished in 2010.
Sited on the side of the hill, the house was built so it looks out in different ways and on different levels. Some rooms have level ceilings, others have sloping ceilings with exposed timber to give volume.
"We tried to put as much space into the house as possible," Trevor says.
The floors are terracotta and the couple have used kauri detailing to acknowledge the part the kauri industry played in Mangawhai's history. Internal doors are recycled kauri and the kitchen bench top and bathroom vanities are solid kauri blocks, as are the cantilevered bedroom side tables.
The four-level home faces east but flows up the hill in a north-south direction.
"You start at the bottom and walk up half-flights to the next level," says Trevor. "It is a zig zag sort of effect."
The ground level has two bedrooms and a single garage. The house rises to the TV lounge/dining room, and from there the main living area -- big lounge, entrance hall with its distinctive double doors made of recycled Oregon pine, and rustic styled kitchen with open shelving. On the top level is the master bedroom.
All bedrooms and living areas open to decks. The two lower bedrooms have a deck between them, allowing both a degree of privacy. The master bedroom has its own private deck.
"All the bedrooms and living areas face east, and have large windows. The sunlight hits the terracotta floors and they heat up and keep the house warm." En suites behind the bedrooms have underfloor heating.
"The house stays warm all day," says Trevor. "We have never bothered with other heating."
He says the big thing they wanted was a place where they could come for a weekend, sit down and relax, with minimum maintenance.
"We arrive on a Friday afternoon after work, we walk in and sit down and carry on. The fridge is there and meals are easy, there is no garden to worry about."
The couple describe Mangawhai Heads and the surrounding area as "brilliant".
"It has boating, fishing, water sports and the estuary. It has a golf course, scenic walks. The beach is good for swimming, it has lifeguards. And it has surfing beaches.
"It has everything here, not just something for everyone but plenty for everybody."
They are selling to move on to new opportunities.
"Most of the home owners in the development are professional people ... who don't want to cut the grass or clean the gutter every time they come there. It is easy to maintain.
"It would suit someone who wants somewhere quiet, relaxing, and good views. And they can take advantage of all the things there are to do in Mangawhai."
