Secluded green retreat close to city
MIKE SHAW
A green avenue of trees along the driveway is a perfect welcome to Alasdair and Lesley’s secluded, bush-wrapped property at 231 Henwood Rd, Bell Block.
On one side of the driveway are Japanese cedars, with lilly pilly trees on the other, giving the sense of driving through a green tunnel.
Emerging from the avenue, the property opens out into a lush, textured valley setting with the home at its centre, nestled at the end of the driveway. It’s a private world, seemingly remote, but just a couple of minutes from Bell Block shops and not much further into New Plymouth.
Alasdair and Lesley discovered this property nine years ago, after looking for almost a year for a lifestyle setting where Alasdair could graze a few sheep and keep chickens.
At just over two hectares, this property was larger than Lesley was anticipating, but it had the room for Alasdair to raise his animals, it was on their preferred side of the city, and there was a small cottage for extra income. They bought it.
It has become much more than it first presented. Lesley further developed her love for gardening here and, with advice from landscaper David Bruce, has refined this property into the layered, textured environment that impresses visitors today.
The couple added their own stamp to the house, with new carpet, curtains and roof, and an updated kitchen. It’s a captivating environment, inside and out. ‘‘It’s so nice; it’s really hard to leave. I’m always late for appointments,’’ Lesley says.
The appeal is obvious: stunning bushy outlook from the house, in-ground swimming pool, sheltered and sun-soaked grounds, walkways through the trees and bush, an orchard of avocados and citrus, and the landscaped pond area on the lower level where pet eels reside, reached via a set of steps for safe, easy access.
As well as the main orchard of avocado trees, the mix of other unusual and common fruits include casimiroa or white sapote, custard apple, lime, lemon, mandarin, grape, persimmon and fig.
Birds are everywhere in that greenery, Lesley says, including a nesting pair of pigeons which sit in a nearby kowhai, and tui in the camellias and cherry trees.
The house is a three-bedroom Lockwood design, built about 1975, but extended in the 1980s under architectural guidance. Kitchen and lounge extensions were designed to look like a seamless part of the original plan and help make this home a spacious, well-appointed family retreat.
Inside the front door, a foyer features a curved wall of whitepainted bricks and a recess to hang coats. Beyond are the openplan kitchen, dining and lounge, with another sitting area dubbed the den off to the side looking out over the swimming pool.
There’s a pleasing rustic feel in here that complements the view of the lush green surroundings. The warmth of classic Lockwood tongue-andgroove timber wall linings adds to that feel, as does the woodburner inside the curve of the foyer brick wall, and the kitchen’s earthycoloured floor tiles and timber island bench.
On a sunny morning, the doors of the corner den can be opened wide to the paved patio above the pool. All the spaces work well for entertaining; Alasdair and Lesley have hosted parties for up to 50 people comfortably. The kitchen features a wide, five-burner gas hob above a pair of full-size electric ovens. No problems cooking for a family or a large gathering.
A large window in the kitchen looks into a tree-framed lawn HOW MUCH:
WHAT YOU GET: A secluded lifestyle property enjoying proximity to city services with a comfortable low-maintenance Lockwood home and a separate cottage that provides supplementary income or extended family accommodation. Grassy pasture areas wind between trees and garden spaces and an avocado orchard is complemented by a range of other fruits.
MARKETED BY: Emma Taylor at Harcourts – 06 759 9160 or
027 379 7148.
ONLINE: harcourts.co.nz – ref NP7315.
SEE IT: Open home on Sunday, October 6, from 1.45pm to
2.15pm.
area, where a gap crafted into the trees provides a glimpse of the mountain on a fine day. A door off the kitchen opens to a paved courtyard, with a raised vegetable garden on the retained lawn area to the side.
Off the back of the kitchen is a spacious office, with a built-in desk.
From the living areas, a hallway runs through to the laundry, two double bedrooms, a generous second living area, which could be used as an extra bedroom, and the family-friendly arrangement of separate bathroom, toilet and shower room.
The floor plan has its quirks, Lesley notes, with one bedroom opening into a large hobby or storage space which has its own door into the double garage. There is also garage access from the second living space.
Back in the living areas, a staircase behind the corner sitting area leads up to the large master bedroom suite with its raked timber ceilings and boldlywallpapered angled wall behind the bed adding visual interest.
A refurbished tiled ensuite offers today’s expected convenience, and unexpected feathered spectators; tui and pigeons sit in the branches of the magnolia just outside the large window. The rear grounds are otherwise completely private, she assures.
Doors open from the master bedroom to the glass-bordered, north-facing upper deck that offers a stunning overview of the valley property.
Just up the driveway from the house is the cottage that provides a modest income. It’s a studio design with a small extra bedroom or study space and was originally planned as a bed-andbreakfast but has become a longterm rental arrangement that new owners could continue. It was recently updated with a new kitchen.
Harcourts consultant Emma Taylor is marketing the property which she says offers a special private lifestyle close to urban conveniences. ‘‘You would never know it was here, but it’s only two minutes to town,’’ she says.