Stunning estate in Waikanae
arcelona meets Frank Lloyd Wright in a triumph of architecture and environment for sale on a spectacular historic estate in Waikanae.
The extraordinary lifestyle property, at 69 Aston Rd, combines a stunning four-bedroom homestead and a three-bedroom cottage with 4.99 hectares of native forest and supremely landscaped grounds.
The secluded setting includes a swimming pool, grass tennis court, cricket pitch and pavilion, an orchard and stables, the original creamery, and garaging for six cars.
‘Te Rama’ was the original homestead site for the Waimahoe Estate, which dates to 1886, and is for sale for the first time since Geoff and Louise Fisher bought it in 1996.
They are only the fourth owners while the two-storey home they built 10 years ago is the third to occupy the site after the first two were destroyed by fire. “The original owner, Henry Elder, was a great naturalist who preserved the bush,” Geoff says. “Some of the trees are 500 years old.”
The QEII-protected forest includes pukeateas, nikaus and kohekohes, and among the trees that Elder planted are six magnolias, six pohutukawas and six oaks.
The Fishers wanted their home to be architecturally significant while complementing its natural heritage. Their brief to Richard Middleton, of Novak + Middleton, was to create a Frank Lloyd Wright-influenced home with a Barcelona-like lifestyle.
The result is a 358-square metre showcase of Hinuera stone and copper, thick cedar and jarrah joinery, extensive glazing and exceptional indooroutdoor living, with decks and 200sqm of concrete terraces for an idyllic al alfresco lifestyle.
It faces northwest, with the formal lounge boasting fantastic forest views. The lounge and adjoining family/dining room open on both sides to terrace, and each has an open fireplace with floating exposed aggregate hearths. The family/dining room is open-plan with the exceptionally specified kitchen, which includes an Ilve double oven with four-burner cooktop with teppanyaki hotplate, integrated rangehood, two dishwashers and a butler’s pantry with another dishwasher.
At one end of the house is a guest bedroom suite and bathroom and at the other end a wing with two more bedrooms and another bathroom.
All the bedrooms open to terraces while the main bedroom suite on the upper level opens to a balcony with treetops views.
The main bedroom also has a walkthrough dressing room to an ensuite. Other features include an upstairs office with a large balcony, a separate laundry, underfloor heating, and a guest toilet.
“We love our home’s sense of history and tranquillity, how it sits and looks out so beautifully to everything the bush offers,” Louise says.
“And the cottage is a real bonus. We rent it out for up to 100 nights a year to help pay for costs associated with running the property including rates and insurance.”
Another bonus is the historic orchard, with its nashi pears, olives, three types of figs, macadamias and original plum trees.
As well as a double-garage, there are two single garages, two carports, and garaging for two cars in the stables, which also include an office.
“This is an exceptionally rare chance to buy a unique property with a remarkable history and incredible space in a sublimely beautiful and supremely private setting,” Ceinwen Howard, of Howard & Co Realty, says.