The vine things in life in Warkworth

178 Hamilton Road, Warkworth, Auckland. Photo / Ted Baghurst

178 HAMILTON RD WARKWORTH

3

2

2

SIZE: Land 1.68ha, house 290sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Interest expected above CV of $1.375 million. Auction June 5.

INSPECT: Sunday 2-3pm.

ON THE WEB: realestate.co.nz/1441191

SCHOOL ZONES: Warkworth School, Mahurangi College.

CONTACT: Steven Postlewaight or Lorraine Mildon, United Real Estate Warkworth, ph (09) 425 7949, 021 883 848 (Steven), 027 497 9282 (Lorraine).

FEATURES: Spacious nine-year-old Mediterranean-style home with three bedrooms and guest cottage on lifestyle block near Matakana, with working vineyard (managed by neighbouring winery), olive grove (contributing to award-winning Matakana Olive Co-op) and orchard.

When David and Wendy Adams married, Wendy wanted to live in the country, but David was a dedicated city boy.

So they spent most of their working lives in cities, following David's career around the world. Gradually, Wendy's country dream faded and she became comfortably entrenched in urban life. So entrenched, in fact, that when David suggested a decade ago that they move to a lifestyle block, her first reaction was: "Eek!"

"I liked the shops and the cafes and being able to pop to the gym," Wendy says. "I just thought I'd turn into a country bumpkin."

But, with the onset of retirement, David had been tiring of city life. He sprang a new plan on Wendy one weekend when they drove up to see the laid-back countryside and numerous beaches of the Matakana area.

Though they were both Aucklanders at heart and the region is less than an hour's drive from the city, they had never visited it. David declared: "I like it up here." Shortly afterwards, they discovered that the Mahurangi River Winery was selling a plot of land. It was a north-facing slope on a quiet rural road a few minutes' drive from Warkworth, Snells Beach and Sandspit - the perfect site for a boutique vineyard, olive grove and orchard.

"I've always had an interest in grapes, particularly drinking them," David says with a grin. "So that was an incentive."

Even after convincing Wendy that they should buy it, it took a bit of imagination and a lot of work to transform the land into David's vision.

"There wasn't a thing on it," he says. "There wasn't a tree, there wasn't a building. It was just long grass up to your waist."

But the land had a high plateau with rolling rural views that provided a large, flat site for a north-facing house. They had a Mediterranean-style home designed to suit the wine-growing character of the area, to take advantage of the sun, space and views and to provide a choice of outdoor spaces.

At the heart of the home is a granite kitchen with an enormous butler's pantry. The kitchen flows into a large, tiled family room that opens to outdoor areas on three sides.

A spacious formal lounge and dining area is made cosy with carpet, rich blue walls and a wood fire, and opens up to the western patio through two sets of French doors.

A master suite opens to the pool area, while upstairs are two bedrooms, each with a terrace, and a bathroom and study. And, because this is a working plot of land, there are hidden utility areas, including a big laundry, a gardener's bathroom, a wine cellar and a double garage.

The couple initially feared they wouldn't get many visitors, but the home proved so popular as a weekender for family and friends that they had an inviting studio cottage built to the west of the main house. It has become a successful bed and breakfast operation.


Now that the couple have decided to downsize, they are firmly on the same side of the country-city debate. They've bought a property in nearby Point Wells. The country it is.

"It's a good community here," says Wendy. "We have lots of lovely friends."