Something for everyone
73A ARMSTRONG ROAD
TE PUNA, BAY OF PLENTY
When Nicky and Tony Ponder first saw the home they were to buy in Te Puna, near Tauranga, it was a cream painted house with a terracotta roof on a hill in the middle of a paddock full of weeds.
But Nicky had always had a hankering to live in Armstrong Rd and despite the obvious drawbacks of this particular property, she could see potential. They bought it, and started a substantial renovation of the house and garden, which has transformed it into a superb country estate.
They started with the garden, working with the existing sheep tracks that criss-crossed the land to create paths and divide the space into sections. They drew plans for the different areas, and began to form a design using massive rocks and 100-year-old timbers to give them lawns, native and exotic gardens and outdoor living areas.
After six years, they’ve satisfied every desire of every member of the family with an extraordinary range of facilities including a pool, outdoor fireplace, decks, an outdoor chess board, petanque court, covered bar area with double refrigerator, and several outdoor sitting and dining spaces.
The cream and terracotta colour scheme of the exterior has been replaced with warm, natural tones of taupe and grey to work with the natural materials inside and out. They’ve used schist in pillars at the entrances and in the fireplace surrounds, and other stonework in various outdoor living areas.
Inside, the kitchen was the first space earmarked for renovation and Nicky loves the result.
“There used to be a some changes of level between the entranceway, the living area and the hall, so we levelled that space and now it’s just two steps down into the kitchen and living area,” she says.
The big kitchen has stainless steel appliances, including twin ovens, dishwasher, a flush ceiling extractor over the gas hob and an island bench with a sitting area at one end. There’s a double sink in the main bench area and an auxiliary sink alongside the hob. An adjoining sitting area alongside makes cooking and entertaining here a sociable event, along with the formal dining area and adjacent carpeted lounge with a fireplace that has a full-height stone surround.
As well as the spacious, open-plan living areas, the house has a purpose-built pool room with warm timber floors and recycled timber beams.
“When I was growing up we had a pool table at home and I always said I’d do the same for our kids,” Nicky says.
However, it’s the master suite that gets the tick for Nicky’s favourite room. “We used to have a spa pool outside the bedroom door but it’s no longer there and we’ve made that area into a private garden with a sitting area. It’s perfect for a cup of tea in the afternoon sun.
“With all the outdoor spaces there’s somewhere pleasant to sit at any time of the year. The pool is lovely in summer, and we love the bar area beside it. My brother came over from Australia for a holiday and built a floating roof over it so we can use it whatever the weather. If we were staying here I’d do the same for the outdoor seating area on the other side of the pool.”
But there are other irons in the fire as Nicky and Tony develop plans for their new property — a piece of land with kiwifruit, avocados, blueberries, native bush, four ponds and a river boundary. Te Puna is growing in popularity due to growth in Tauranga.