SCHOOL ZONES:
Henderson Valley School, Waitakere College.
CONTACT:
Leila Morris, Bayleys, 021 893 413.
AUCTION:
March 11 (unless sold prior).
*Plus one off street car park
Four years of working on nature programmes for television sparked a desire in Helen Bissett and Wayne Tourell to live in a bush environment.
The couple had been based in Dunedin while working as producers for Natural History New Zealand, and had a home in Birkenhead to come back to, but they wanted to live in the bush out west, especially as Helen had taken over the Bush and Beach eco tours business based in Henderson.
Helen says they focused their house-hunting around Titirangi initially but couldn't find anything suitable until, after two years of looking, they discovered this Turanga Rd property.
"We saw it on Tuesday and bought it on Saturday," says Helen.
She and Wayne felt the property had the right mix of privacy, sun, and easy, open-plan living.
Wayne says it is no accident the home enjoys views and sun, with the original owners having spent considerable time refining their designs before building in 1995.
"They built a model of the house and they would move it around on the site to get the sun they wanted," he says.
Tucked off the road, down a curving driveway, the home sits in a clearing on the northern slopes of the ranges, sheltered from the wind but open to the north with views over the treetops out to the Waitemata Harbour.
Designed with a spine of skylight windows at the apex of the gable roof and with a towering central atrium and cutouts in the walls, the home is flooded with light and feels open and airy.
The upstairs bedrooms open to the atrium on one side and to outdoors on the other. You can stand on the balcony of one bedroom and look right through the house to the view on the other side -- with sightlines cleverly framed by strategically placed cutouts and windows.
Cut out shapes and window forms are repeated throughout the house to provide a sense of symmetry and connection.
The downstairs living areas are largely open plan although the media room to the left of the entrance can be closed off.
From the kitchen, through the dining area and stepping down to the carpeted lounge there is an easy flow.
Image 1 of 13: Your very own slice of paradise tucked away in the Waitakere ranges
A gas fire warms this space as does the underfloor heated tiles in the other living spaces.
Large bifolds open the house to a deck on the northwest corner of the house with built in seating and a spa pool.
Sitting outdoors, enjoying the sun, the peaceful bush setting and birdlife, Helen and Wayne sometimes question their decision to sell.
"We've loved it here; it is a very reluctant sale," says Helen.
In their 10 years here, the couple have made some minor improvements such as replacing the open fire with a double-sided gas fire, and building a bookcase in the media room.
However, they have kept on top of maintenance so the home's appearance belies its 20 years.
"Wayne is absolutely meticulous about upkeep," says Helen. "Being a director he has got the eye so everything has got to be perfect."
The previous owners also ran a nursery business -- growing orchids as well as rhododendrons and camellias -- and the shade houses and greenhouses still stand on the eastern side of the house, a bonus for any keen gardener. Paths wind through the property, and a creek forms one of the boundaries.
After a 50-year directing and producing career that includes movies such as Bonjour Timothy and TV shows such as Mortimer's Patch and Gloss, Wayne is supposed to be retired but is still doing some directing on Shortland Street.
Meanwhile, Helen is now managing tourism business Discover New Zealand and that change means they have moved to Remuera.
