Matakana: Very special

Where cattle once roamed now stands an idyllic country home with luxurious touches at every turn. By VICKI HOLDER.

Escaping the hustle and bustle of Auckland to a peaceful lifestyle property seemed an elusive fantasy for the Baldwin family. Most pockets of land available were unsuitable or meant sharing with a conglomeration of other residences. Then they discovered 45 acres of native bush north of Matakana where cattle had been left to rampage for years.

As it was unproductive and too large to be managed by someone as a subdivision, Dave Baldwin proposed to the local council that he would subdivide it as a non-complying activity in exchange for enhancing and preserving the native bush and undertaking additional planting. It took a year to gain approval, and when it finally came through, as part of the deal the Baldwins agreed to plant 20,000 native trees on the property.

"Most of the work happened to be on my block of land," laughs Dave at the irony of thinking he would get away with just half of the effort required by the bigger block.

It proved a much larger project than they had planned. But a year and a half after moving to Matakana, they shifted from the original old cottage into their luxurious modern family home designed by Paul Francis of Francis Clarke Architects, to enjoy the phenomenal privacy and solitude of a great coastal environment. Close to the popular Matakana Primary School and five minutes from Omaha, one of the safest swimming beaches around, Dave waxes lyrical. "It's a fantastic little area for a young family."

From its perch, the house enjoys a magnificent outlook across the Sandspit harbour with tidal access to the water. Sited on the side of a hill, it is surrounded by 14.1ha of bush and 2.5ha of pasture. Apart from the abundance of birds that drop in, the property is not used to farm animals but enjoyed merely for its beauty and outdoor recreational benefits. One of the larger paddocks has been carved off to give the children an area for motor biking.

To comply with the council's strict design criteria, any building in the region must harmonise with the surroundings. To this end, the monopitch roof of the Baldwin home runs at the same angle as the hillside to minimise the effect of its height and bulk when viewed from the harbour on the south-west aspect. "At the same time," says Dave, "the house relates well to the home's absolute focus, the secluded outdoor living environment on its northern side."

Extending east-west, large, open-plan living incorporates a sleek kitchen, dining room and formal lounge where heated stone floors flow to a sheltered terrace around the swimming pool. A built-in barbecue located beside an outdoor fireplace shelters under the eaves so cooking can be done outside whatever the weather decides to do.

With minimalist detailing, the interior is clean-lined and family friendly. Extensive glazing on the south-west side makes the most of the views.

To ensure the house is even more functional, big aluminium sliders close off the family area from the kitchen. The children can watch a movie when Dave and Kay are entertaining friends in the lounge.

The ability to have people to stay without intruding on family life played an important role in the house design. Although there are three main bedrooms with a huge master bedroom suite and a home office that could be another bedroom, the Baldwins created another separate self-contained bedroom suite for friends.

With more than 100sq m of space for stashing cars, boats and toys, there's a full three-bay garage and another on a lower level. And to fully appreciate the abundance of excellent wine to be found in the Matakana region, a sizeable temperature-controlled cellar is near the garage.

This large and very special property has everything it takes to entice a city family to the good life in the country.

Vital Statistics

ADDRESS: 449 Whitmore Rd, Matakana.

FEATURES: Modern home designed by Francis Clarke Architects surrounded by covenanted native bush with harbour views and beach access; four bedrooms plus self-contained guest suite; home office; wine cellar; 12.5m pool; spa; internal and outdoor fireplaces; gas barbecue; septic tank to drip-feed irrigation; three water tanks; Hansa tapware; Duravit fittings in guest suite; Cat 5 computer cabling; stereo wiring for interface between pool and lounge; alarm system; underfloor heating in tiled areas; central vacuum; two garages.

SIZE: Land area approx 16.7ha; floor area approx 400sq m.

INTERNATIONAL TENDER: Closes February 19, 2004.

AGENT: Allan Myers, Barfoot & Thompson (waterfront and coastal sales), Warkworth. Ph 021 489 336 mob.