Stay

When Peter and Jenny Brown bought the home they would later transform into a bed and breakfast, they hardly asked any questions of the then owners. Peter, a lawyer in Whanganui, already knew every nook and cranny of the house and property, including how to climb the walnut trees that surround the elegant two-storey house on a hill above the city. It was his childhood home. “Jenny and I had moved back to Whanganui from Wellington, and when mum and dad were thinking of selling the house, we were thinking of buying,” he says. The Browns reconfigured the interior of the weatherboard 1910 house in keeping with its period. Jenny, a textile designer and artist, has added personal touches, including her own art and quilts. Their first guest (they opened in 2017) was the New Zealand artist, Billy Apple, widely known for his POP art in the 1960s. He wrote just one word in the visitors’ book: “Wow!”. The garden, developed by Peter’s mother from the 1960s, is packed with flowerbeds and mature trees. Free-range chickens roam on the lawns and provide eggs for guests’ breakfasts. Another guest left the comment, “bodacious, brilliant and bountiful,” which sums up the place beautifully. 34 College Street. 027 308 2495, brownsboutiquebnb.co.nz

Jenny Brown