A long and winding road
And at the end of it, writes Vicki Holder , stands an almost castle-like house on a hill
Julie Webster admits the large lifestyle property she owns with partner Alan Dyer in Henderson is somewhat hard to find for townies. “But that’s nice because it makes it so calm and private,” she says “As soon as we saw it, we fell in love with the setting.” Entry from Holdens Rd takes visitors past a scattering of houses and down a private road that winds it way through native bush.
Security gates at the end of the road open to reveal a cream clay-brick house almost castle-like on a hill.
It is surrounded by expansive rolling lawns and terraced gardens — and the sheer grandeur of its proportions makes it a breathtaking sight.
The house was 4 years old when they bought it. Julie was living in Mission Bay and Alan in the Waitakeres, and with six children between them, they wanted a lifestyle block where they could merge their two families.
They’ve made a raft of changes in the 11 years they’ve lived here.
A new two-bedroom wing upstairs for Alan’s children brings the number of bedrooms to six — or seven if you count the soundproofed home theatre above the garage, which they use as a bedroom.
Hardly a room remained untouched as they realigned spaces to make them flow better. “They just made sense,” says Julie.
Doors to the garage were relocated to free up a wall in the lounge. Bedrooms were moved around to create more wardrobe space.
And because the previous pantry was too small, they moved more doors and put in a smart new kitchen that opens to the dining room and lounge.
This is where the family spend most of their time in summer.
Major work has transformed the front of the house. Glass bifolds draw you outdoors to a vast sundrenched terrace leading to a pool.
The pool has heating, but it’s hardly ever turned on because the dark-coloured stone surround keeps it warm.
A pool house at one end is a great place for teens to hang out, says Julie.
On the opposite side of the entry to the house, a TV room opens into another living option, a winter lounge warmed by a log fire and flooded with light from a skylight in a soaring double-height ceiling.
The one room that hasn’t changed is the master suite, which opens from a mezzanine library upstairs.
Angles formed by the dormer roofline add interest to a generous space that leads through a walk-in wardrobe to the en suite, where window treatments aren’t necessary — you can hardly see the neighbours, they’re so far away.
Work in the garden has been ongoing and Julie and Alan have enjoyed experimenting with planting.
“Banks below the house were quite steep when we came,” says Julie. “Alan said, ‘Let’s build a rock wall.’
“So we did. It took us all summer but it has stood the test of time.”
Pretty flowering cherries and bold green grasses on a terrace mingle with a fat pink plaster pig, whose rear end seems to waggle at visitors.
There’s even space to land a helicopter out back, something they discovered when flying from Albany one day.
But a helicopter is hardly necessary — town is only about 20 minutes away on the motorway and the train station in Sunnyvale is an easy walk.
“It’s been a really great home for all the kids,” says Julie, “but it’s too big with just Alan and me at home now.”