SCHOOL ZONES:
Matakana Primary, Mahurangi College, Warkworth.
CONTACT:
Paul Elsdon, 021 936 011, or Kellie Bissett, 027 530 6643, Bayleys.
AUCTION:
Feb 22.
Cherril and John Spooner arrived in Pt Wells 12 years ago looking for a beautiful place to retire. They'd known this wider Omaha area well as keen boaties and were drawn back here in their search for a place with good form, elegance and comfort.
Within hours of arriving here, they had put down their best offer that was nothing to do with the house and everything to do with the trees.
"I was always looking for somewhere with trees, where I could sit and read the paper with coffee among the trees," says Cherril.
After six months of being shown bare paddocks as possible building sites, she arrived here knowing in an instant she wouldn't have to plant any trees to get her wish. This place came with 60 to 70 mature trees and Cherril knew their worth to the lifestyle and ambience they wanted to create here. The trees, especially those hugging the existing house, were the priority as they drew up plans for a new permanent home.
Six months of weekend stays in the double-storey farm house confirmed their decision to build a new single-level home on the same spot, with the melia and gingko biloba trees as the focal point amid a new verdant garden.
John and Cherril had intended to sell the old house for removal but were told that some trees would have to be taken out to get it off the property.
"We said 'No way, the trees are worth more than the house' and we demolished the house instead," says Cherril.
No tree was harmed in the demolition or the construction of the new home designed by GJ Gardner Homes.
Built to soar within the garden, this home features an elegant gable roof, pitched tongue-and-groove eaves and an exterior cladding of plastered brick and ceramic weatherboard.
Image 1 of 6: A coastal property with mature trees was a must for this couple in their retirement.
The 2.7m interior stud enhances an airy connection to the choice of north-facing decks that offer a magical, all-year-round take on outdoor living thanks to trees that mitigate the seasonal extremes of light and temperature.
The combined lounge-dining area has a log-burner that heats the whole house during winter. Outside a deck offers a venue for pre-dinner drinks, then a meal around the table.
The adjacent combined family room and large kitchen opens out to a deeper, more sheltered lounge and dining deck.
Next to that, the master bedroom at the end of the house has its own outdoor seating area.
At the opposite end, two of the guest bedrooms open to their own outdoor area laid with crazy paving.
Cherril's choice of dark blue hydrangeas is the key feature of her newly under-planted garden, with trees brought to life by bird feeders and starling boxes. Throughout the wider woodland garden she has created a fantasyland with ornamental characters including fairies and goblins, both in a grotto and among old tree trunks.
Theirs is a project they have shared year-round with the wider community, including Christmas when the trees are decorated and Santa receives visiting local children from beneath an archway.
There are also five sisters in residence here.
They are the five poplar trees in the middle of the lawn, part of the property that could be further developed to include the likes of a swimming pool.
As for John and Cherril, they've begun building another, larger home on the waterfront in Pt Wells on a smaller site that will still keep them connected to the community.
