For Julian, it's the views across the countryside from every room, especially the morning views down the valley from the kitchen and dining room.
"We tried to get as many windows in as we could to keep the green theme," Pat explains.
There's a story at every turn, and in the materials they chose. The surrounding courtyard and built-in planters are constructed in dark, basalt-like pavers that geologist Julian confirms are Gabbro. There's also golden Australian black butt flooring timber, the Tasmanian oak bathroom cabinetry and Carrara marble in one en suite, and the Tibetan schist pillars and the New Zealand swamp kauri mantelpiece in the entertainment lounge, near the schist and cedar outdoor pavilion.
It's a far cry from the smaller, red-tiled original farmhouse they bought in 2004 and leased out while living in Perth. During the years they added to their acreage so the surrounding paddocks enhanced their views and privacy.
Last January, Pat and Julian returned to New Zealand in time to move into the house during the final six months of their rebuild. They lived in the original sitting room, feeding themselves and the builders from the outside barbecue.
"We regained the house room by room," Pat explains. It was a memorable transition into semi-retirement and a completed home designed for visiting friends and family to enjoy complete privacy as well as the best of the expansive common entertaining areas.
Downstairs there are effectively two wings that unfold beyond the covered portico entrances and the two double-garages, one at each end of the house. The granite kitchen with its butler's pantry, island bench and dining room is the true heart of the house. The sitting room off the west entrance, the office, family bathroom and laundry corridor to the double-garage are at one end. The three ground-floor bedrooms include two with en suites.
The glossy timber stairs up to the master bedroom and study are a feature within the pavilion-style double-height entertainment lounge, which opens to the outdoor stand-alone timber and schist pavilion. The use of timber and Pat's favourite green and blue accents in some of the bathroom materials are another nod to her affinity with the pastures and the blue of the rural skies.
They say there is much about the architecture of this house that is Australian. For Julian, it's the way everything opens out to verandas. Now's the time for them to let go of the Australian connection that has been a happy home for 18 months in the heart of rural North Auckland.
