Mum, dad and the menagerie in Waiuku

207 Whiriwhiri Rd, Waiuku. Photo / Ollie Dale

207 WHIRIWHIRI RD WAIUKU

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SIZE: Land 4.73ha; house 275sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: $835,000.

INSPECT: Sun 1-2pm, or by appointment.

ON THE WEB: www.harcourts.co.nz/PQ101113

SCHOOL ZONES: Waiuku Primary, Waiuku College.

CONTACT: Alan Henderson, Harcourts, ph (09) 298 6024 or 027 722 2757.

FEATURES: Well-preserved and extended character home with four bedrooms and two large living areas, set alongside almost 2ha of covenanted native bush. Barns, pens, loading ramps, hard surfaces and 3ha of well-fenced pasture.

Twenty-one years ago, when Michele and Cliff Earl bought their classic colonial cottage in the pleasant countryside to the south of Waiuku, their daughter Briar was not even born.

Michele, however, loves animals and she saw the opportunity to indulge this passion in the sunny paddocks that surrounded the cottage. The fact that there was also a large chunk of covenanted mature bush was a bonus.

"I used to ride regularly and so we always had horses. Now Briar does, and we have two of her old ponies and her present hack, as well as five kune kune pigs, three sheep, three cats, three dogs and one very old cow. I get teased as the soft touch because the cats are strays and all the animals are pets. They'll be with us till they die."

The humans aren't doing too badly either. From the roadside it's a pretty but compact cottage, but it's something altogether different once you step through the door. The previous owners extended across the rear and sides of the original cottage in an extension that added at least 50 per cent to the volume of the original building. The result is a surprisingly commodious home with four bedrooms, two living areas, a large country-style kitchen and an absolutely huge utility area.

The master bedroom is at the rear of the house and, with French windows and views to the gardens and native bush, it is a peaceful and private retreat off to one side of the larger of the two sitting rooms. This in turn faces towards a sheltered courtyard and a row of pretty painted sheds which probably housed labourers on the original farm.

The other living area at the side of the original cottage faces towards the front and is an all-day sun trap. From here Michele can gaze out to where the horses browse in the sun, and Mabel the elderly kune kune sow, who has become a bit forgetful in her old age, wanders along the fence line. "We've found it great to have these two living areas. We can watch different TV programmes or relax with friends. The whole house is like that. It's very generous in the way it's proportioned."

Unlike the original villa, the rear extension is mono-pitched and consequently slightly lower in ceiling height than the original part of the home, but the two halves blend well together.

From the red-painted front door through to the central hallway, the layout is all villa. Here, Briar has two of the bedrooms to spread out in, with the smallest used as an office.

The bathroom is spacious and, given this is a small family, has been adequate for their needs. However, since the utility area is so large - and situated through the wall to the master bedroom - it could easily be reconfigured to provide an en suite should it ever be required.

Built in 1864 by the McNamara family, who emigrated from Ireland to farm the surrounding land, this is a solidly handsome house that has stood the test of time and emerged, after an intervening period of neglect and use as a hay barn, shining.

Michele confesses that she will miss it after so many happy years, but the family have found another property they are interested in. "Briar is very keen on her riding and the [property] we are considering has an outdoor arena where she could practise dressage all year round."