Mary Stewart says locals thought they were "nuts" buying a property in the hills outside Havelock North back in 1981.
"Living in the hills wasn't the thing to do in those days," Mary says of their move to "a very plain bungalow" with three children under five years old at the time.
But she and husband Don have had the last laugh as they not only enjoy views out to sea and across the plains but also a more moderate climate -- no frosts during winter and less of the searing Hawkes Bay heat during summer.
That has meant they have been able to indulge their love of gardening -- including growing fruit and vegetables on a property they have landscaped around the house to make it part of its hillside environment.
Mary says they began the landscaping first as they knew it would take the longest to complete and become established.
A lot of the landscaping structure -- walls, steps and paving -- has been created with broken concrete, while a pile of railway sleepers that Mary had kept came in handy to build retaining walls and vegetable beds.
"We wanted to anchor the house to the section so we used the broken concrete," says Mary. "The Hastings District Council was lifting a whole lot of pavements and I think it was cheaper for them to drop it at our house than take it to the dump."
With the help of garden designer Dean Moss, the couple have created delightful formal gardens with hedging and topiary as well as planting specimen trees and natives to complement the existing silver birches that flank the sweeping driveway.
While they were working on the garden they were thinking about how to remodel the house, and called in the late architect Paris Magdalinos to help realise their vision for a property they call 'Appin' -- a family name.
Image 1 of 7: Elegant open plan bungalow with delightful gardens is situated in an ideal climate. Photos / Supplied
"It was five years before we did the alterations with Paris because we wanted to see how the house worked. Over the years we have done about four alterations. We didn't extend the house hugely because we didn't want to end up with an enormous house," says Mary. "We took inspiration from the garden and the views so what we did do was open the house out to the garden because we like outdoor dining."
She says they began with the kitchen and living area before turning their attention to the middle of the house, then the bedrooms followed by the removal of a carport, which was replaced by a double garage. During that time they also modified the existing swimming pool.
The result is an elegant home with large open plan living spaces that flows out to crazy-paving patios with wisteria draped pergolas and jasmine climbing up the supporting poles.
Opening to north- and east-facing terraces, the kitchen and family room is largely glazed and has expansive views looking over the swimming pool and out to sea. Outside, an open fire warms a sheltered nook sitting under a pergola.
As well as a formal lounge, the home has an office and most of the bedrooms are in a separate wing, with the master having north-facing views.
Mary says the property slopes down to a creek and is large enough for their daughter to have had a pony and they have also enjoyed keeping chickens.
Don, a keen tennis player, built the tennis court and his latest project has been building a seemingly rustic wine cellar and tasting room. Disguised behind totara pole cladding and climbing plants is a shipping container with built-in shelves that opens to a west-facing terrace.
Despite all the hard work they have put in here over 34 years, Mary says she and Don are looking for another challenge.
"We're ready for something new now so I think we will look to build," she says. "We love having projects and enjoy creating things."
