Featherston
ASUMPTUOUS country estate south of Featherston, with a five-bedroom house and a two-bedroom cottage, is for sale by negotiation.
The renovated dwellings, at 118 Papatahi Rd, are on two titles with a combined area of more than five hectares.
The extraordinarily picturesque setting includes two internal-access garages and four paddocks, affords views of the Tararua and eastern ranges, and is a 10-minute drive from the beach.
‘‘This is a unique showcase of luxury, space and character that’s been in the same family’s hands for nearly 20 years,’’ Jaime Slater, of Harcourts Greytown, says.
The spectacular two-storey, weatherboard-and-Colorsteel roof house has been extended since the original wing was built in the 1890s.
Slater says the most recent renovations were completed in 1999, when the upper level was added, all the walls, floors and roofs were insulated, central heating installed and the gardens extended (they were planted in 1910).
It now measures nearly 700sqm and is distinguished by native timbers, including matai and kahikatea, soaring ceilings, timber panelling and polished floorboards, and fireplaces in the kitchen, one of two living rooms and the music/ ballroom.
There’s also a library with floorto-ceiling, wall-to-wall shelving, and as well as a formal dining room, there’s an eat-in kitchen that’s been modernised while retaining its country character (chattels include two ovens, a cooktop, rangehood and dishwasher).
There are four bedrooms and four bathrooms in the main part of the house, and another bedroom and bathroom in the eastern wing, where there’s also a second kitchen.
Other features include an ensuite and a dressing room for the main bedroom, a deep, northfacing veranda off the dining room, another, smaller veranda off the kitchen, a separate laundry, heat pump, smart wiring, air conditioning, wine cellar and a boot room leading to the garages.
Slater says there’s potential to improve the house further by developing what was servants’ quarters and a safe (or what’s thought to have been a gun room) into extra living or sleeping space.
The 100sqm cottage has been restored to provide self-contained accommodation, complete with kitchen, bathroom, lounge and outdoor living areas, while the stately grounds include landscaped lawns and gardens, and an arboretum/walkway under a leafy canopy.
‘‘The house, the gardens, the views and location are all breathtaking,’’ Slater says. ‘‘It’s amazing to think you could enjoy all this luxury and seclusion so close to Martinborough and within just a 90-minute drive of Wellington City.’’