Looking to escape "the madhouse known as Auckland", Garth Naulls and Susan O'Connor began searching far and wide for a home in a beautiful location.
Over the course of many years they considered properties around the top half of the North Island and as far afield as Australia before they discovered the perfect property: a Queenslander-style home high on a ridge in Matakana.
Garth initially had his doubts when he saw the character home, thinking it was an old villa that would undoubtedly need renovation. But when he found out it had been built in 2005 by Jennian Homes, his interest was piqued. After driving through farmland to the elevated site with sea views at the end of Anderson Rd he was sold.
"To be quite honest, we bought it at the top of the driveway because it has that wow factor," Garth says. "The position was everything; it's idyllic from the point of view that you don't have any neighbours and there is no car noise because we are at the end of the road. The funny thing was that you have all these boxes to tick but then you find something that is just right."
One of the couple's requirements was proximity to Auckland so they could commute for work while developing the three-bedroom home into boutique Matakana Country Lodge: this meant renovating the house so all bedrooms had en suites, and adding soundproofing between the rooms for the comfort of guests.
And the nearby barn became the couple's home after they converted it into a two-bedroom dwelling with office, workshop and outdoor living. While the couple have run the main house as a lodge, Garth stresses that it is still essentially a comfortable, character home ideal for families.
Also on the property are an orchard and a plot of covenanted bush with a walkway. A "bathroom facility" and caravan have been set up in the orchard for visiting friends and family.
"We've had 30-odd people camping out in the orchard and there's also a fire pit up there," says Garth.
Image 1 of 5: Gorgeous Queenslander of generous proportions comes with option of 'home and income'
The main house is low maintenance, thanks to Linea weatherboard cladding and aluminium joinery, but has character features such as a bull-nosed wraparound veranda with fretwork, and timber floors.
A large living/kitchen/dining area opens out to the swimming pool, with a spa pool tucked off to one side and sitting under a pergola with character detailing similar to the house.
A separate lounge with big screen TV opens out to a terrace with views out to the Barrier islands, Coromandel and Kawau Island.
While running Matakana Country Lodge, Garth and Susan, who has a background in hospitality, have met people from around the world and enjoyed helping them get the most out of the Matakana area, which is a growing tourist magnet with its wineries, walkways, market and beaches.
"The lifestyle we have is very special, make no mistake," says Garth.
"It's an enjoyable social existence."
He says new owners could choose to keep running the business as they have, or switch it around and live in the main house while renting out the barn, or enjoy a private property of their own. The couple have written a manual on the business and are happy to do a handover with the new owners to ease the transition.
Although the lodge has provided them with an enviable lifestyle, the couple are selling up to pursue the next dream -- buying a boat in Europe and sailing the Mediterranean while offering a charter service.
As Garth says: "We want to do what we are doing now but do it on the water."
