High above the hubbub
Hideaway is light and airy with soaring ceilings, bevelled glass and bespoke cabinetry, writes Donna McIntyre
With its park-like grounds and elevated position above the Kerikeri inlet, this substantial home is surrounded by glade gardens, rockeries and native bush, and enjoys a peacefulness well away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Yet it’s only a short drive to Kerikeri or 35 minutes on foot to the landmark Stone Store.
“It is in a quiet area although it is literally 35 minutes walking time away from Kerikeri,” says Mike Endean, who owns the property with his wife, Shirley.
“There is a footpath that starts up the road from us and goes through the trees to the Stone Store.”
Mike and Shirley’s bungalow is in Fern Lake Park, a secure, gated community founded by a German couple.
The Endeans came to New Zealand because friends they had worked with in the UK had retired and moved to Kerikeri to live.
But Mike still has his British engineering company, Xtrac Transmission Technology, which is based in Berkshire and makes 4WD systems and gearboxes for rallycross, rally and racing cars.
“The history of Kerikeri is that back in the 1930s they subdivided 20-acre plots off as lifestyle blocks for retirees, who could grow some citrus and give themselves some pension and have a nice lifestyle,” Mike says.
“This development was the brainchild of a German couple who bought the plot, which they called Fern Lake Park, and they built the first house, which we bought.
“They then developed the second house as well as selling off sections for people to build on.
“They got halfway through this house and then divorced, which brought a sudden closure to their plans. We bought the semi-finished house about 18 years ago, and we also bought the rest of the sections they had in Fern Lake Park.”
Mike and Shirley finished off the home and moved into it.
“It is a substantial home in that it’s block-built and has a tiled roof. That is the case for any house built in Fern Lake Park, as the Germans wanted to have something than was a bit more European.
The heated pool is one level down, next to an area that could be regarded as another bedroom with an en suite, shower room and a sauna.
There is also a two-car garage and a porte cochere, which can take three cars.
“We have bought the adjacent 20-acre block and the original house from when it was all subdivided, and we have put in a vineyard,” says Mike.
“We are now back living in the UK, but we spend between six weeks and six months every year in New Zealand. We always make sure we are in New Zealand for picking the grapes.
“We obviously have a fair bit of land we can walk around, but there are walks around the Kerikeri area.”
A popular place to eat is The Pear Tree restaurant by the basin. And they enjoy driving their vintage cars, a 1915 Model T Ford and a 1950s Buckler sports car.