SCHOOL ZONES:
Waioneke, Parakai and Helensville Schools, Kaipara College, Kingsway School.
CONTACT:
Mary Massara, Bayleys, 021 412 622 or 09 417 0053.
*Off street parking for four cars
Coming to live in New Zealand from rural Scotland, Robert and Fay Moffat wanted somewhere out of the city for their Kiwi base.
"We had been living between Stirling and Glasgow in a 300-year-old stone cottage," says Robert.
It didn't take long to find some land. The couple spotted a newspaper advertisement for this five-acre block in the new Tupare subdivision at South Head.
"We bought the section the first weekend we arrived in New Zealand," says Robert. "We viewed it on the Saturday and paid the deposit on the Sunday."
However, building the home took a bit longer as theirs was the first to be built in the new subdivision. It took a year for the title to come through, another year for resource consent. They moved in five years ago.
The couple went with a Sovereign homes design, modifying the layout to capture the views of the Kaipara Harbour, including wetlands and birdlife.
They share the Tupare subdivision with about a dozen homes, with a couple more being built, and there is a tennis court, boat ramp, horse arena and community centre for residents to use.
Their brick and tile home has four bedrooms (two have en suite and walk-in wardrobe) with the option of using the study and a games room as additional bedrooms.
Entering the front door, on the left is the kitchen, living room and dining room. To the right is a corridor to the bedrooms, the study and games room. The front of the house opens to the heated swimming pool, which is about 10m long.
The couple chose brick and tile as these are building materials they are familiar with, coming from the UK. But they have also used stone detailing at the driveway entrance, for the chimney and pillars on the patio, and by the front door.
The kitchen and bathrooms are finished to a high standard. All kitchen appliances are Miele and benchtops and splashback are granite. "We spent $45,000 more on the kitchen than the standard allowance Sovereign gave us," says Robert. "The granite splashback is almost like an art piece."
Bathrooms are tiled and the family bathroom has a luxurious spa bathtub.
Image 1 of 5: Indulge your passion for the great outdoors or retreat to the games room
As well as a feature gas fireplace, the house has two ducted air conditioning systems, one for the living areas and one for the bedrooms.
And, being a "bit of a techie", Robert had the house wired throughout for Wi-Fi and has an audio system that allows the couple to operate TV and music through different zones.
Outside, the stables and post-and-rail paddocks accommodate Fay's horses, while the 24 framed football jerseys on the walls of the soundproof games room reflect Robert's sporting passion.
"I am a passionate Glasgow Rangers football supporter; they are a collection of jerseys that Fay bought for me or I bought for her. When I learned to ride horses the deal was she would come to football."
This magnificent home has been everything they wanted in New Zealand but now Robert's career trajectory, which brought him to New Zealand, is taking him away.
"We are going to Perth," says Fay. "And that is the only reason we would sell this house."
Robert, who is national operations manager of Countdown New Zealand, will be the state general manager for Woolworths in Western Australia.
"We certainly invested in making this home right for us," he says. "We made it a home we wouldn't want to leave, and unfortunately we didn't foresee the job opportunity coming."
They will miss the South Head setting, taking the dogs for a walk on the West Coast beaches, and Fay has enjoyed being a member of the Woodhill equestrian centre.
"I will miss the peace and tranquillity," says Robert. "That is what I wanted coming out from Scotland, to replicate what we had there.
"We had 80 acres in Scotland and our house was a mile from the road. It was about getting away from the workplace and having time and peace and quiet. And views, that's why we bought the place.
"I think the rural lifestyle in New Zealand is really appealing. People are helpful and friendly and can't do enough for you when you need help, but they give you the space as well."
