PRETTY AS A PICTURE
This feature-filled home in the Hauraki Plains sits on a perfectly positioned lifestyle block and offers the ultimate layout for relaxed family living, writes LOUISE RICHARDSON.
HAURAKI PLAINS 1233 State Highway 27, Kaihere
Ex-Olympic rower Campbell Clayton Greene and his talented designerwife Delwyn had a firm brief when planning commenced for their stunning country home, set on about 1.33 ha with two paddocks and a three-bay implement shed, back in the early 2010s.
“It had to look good and have excellent flow, making the most of our lovely outlook over the Coromandel and Kaimai Ranges to the north and over to Te Aroha,” he says.
Budget was a keen consideration and when designing the property, Malcolm Taylor of Xsite Architecture was inspired by a cowshed recently built on Delwyn’s parents adjacent farm, and he cleverly incorporated pre-fabbed Metalcraft composite exterior panels, and included a polished concrete floor for heat sink, while doubling the required insulation.
The house took shape quickly and was surprisingly low-cost. Delwyn’s considerable talents are very obvious in the interior design of the long 357sqm modern country home, dubbed Big Sky Farmhouse,
with a parents wing at one end and children’s pad at the other.
A huge and amazingly wellequipped kitchen lies at the centre of the dwelling, with an adjacent scullery, which is every cook’s dream, and a huge custom-made central island, which acts as a magnet to family members and guests.
The living space, which surrounds the kitchen, is northfacing and warm in winter and perpetually light-filled.
It opens to the sheltered outdoor relaxing and entertaining area, which comes complete with fireplace and pizza oven, and outdoor speakers.
Back inside, in addition to the open-plan family living area is a media room, complete with a switch hub for the property’s many smart features, and a large family bathroom.
In the children’s wing lie three more bedrooms, the main lounge and a triple garage, mudroom, and separate laundry complete the picture. There’s also a good-sized home office. In the adult end, a luxurious black-tiled ensuite allows for bathing practically under the stars, in absolute privacy, and the master bedroom is generous and sunny.
The vibe throughout this edgy, yet very comfortable home is calm, cool and collected, with a nod towards industrial style and a cleverly neutral palette which makes an ideal backdrop for Campbell and Delwyn’s bold, edgy furnishings.
Big Sky Farmhouse at 1233 State Highway 27 is within easy access of Waihi, Paeroa and Ngatea.
Local Kaihere Primary School is very well-regarded, as is Hauraki Plains College.
Campbell and Delwyn are on the move now, partly as their children are grown up and also because Delwyn is extending her skills, studying for a Bachelor of Design in Hamilton.
The couple will be living in Cambridge and while Campbell’s last row was over a year ago, he intends to keep coaching and he’s in training for the next Coast-to-Coast.
Agent Lee Carter from Bayleys, Hamilton, says that new owners won’t believe that they are just a one-minute drive from SH 27, and a shade over an hour away from Auckland International Airport.
“It’s not often you get the opportunity to live in an awardwinning home, with a quiet rural life yet it’s easy to make your way to almost any major city in the upper North Island.” Auction: April 22
Contact: Lee Carter, Bayleys, 027 696 5781; Karl Davis,
027 496 4633
The vibe throughout this edgy, yet very comfortable home is calm, cool and collected, with a nod towards industrial style and a cleverly neutral palette.