To those who know the food enthusiasts, it was no surprise they opened a bed and breakfast after moving into the spacious home in Bethlehem.
Colin and Sue had lived in Auckland for 14 years and owned cafe The Sitting Duck at Westhaven Marina.
They are used to cooking for large numbers and have cooking books galore in their home.
Sue is passionate about cooking and especially enjoys looking after her Willowdene guests.
The French style country home was built 30 years ago by their neighbours Kate and Mark Schuler, who subdivided and built new on the property.
Sue and Colin now own the original house. They spent 10 months redecorating and have utilised the extension as a B&B.
Photo / John Borren "We feel very much at home, with the best neighbours."
Colin loves tinkering with cars.
He has two well maintained classic cars in the garage - a Ford Zephyr Mark 1 and Mark 2.
But inside the country home is a Zephyr Mark 1 replica of Colin's full size one.
The model is about a metre in length. Colin bought it at a junk shop and completely restored it, including new grill and wheels.
Photo / John Borren The living room is adorned with luxurious couches and beautiful fabrics.
It is their favourite spot and they love having their grandchildren over for the school holidays relaxing on the floor and couches watching TV.
In this room there are trinkets from their travels.
One is a striking porcelain cow (decorated in cups and sources) which they collected on their travels in Italy.
Daughter Sally Ridge also has a larger one.
Sue's second favorite area is the kitchen, of course, where she creates.
