Every aspect of the development of Karanui celebrates the natural environment.
Every aspect of the development of Karanui celebrates the natural environment.
Tastefully tucked away off Three Mile Bush road, bordering Pukenui Forest - 592 hectares of protected lowland broadleaf native forest - sits Karanui, Evo Holdings' latest and most ambitious land development project to date.
Comprised of 74 lots ranging in size and scope from 10 acre farmlets to half-acre blocks,this 39Ha development has required land development consultants, Cato Bolam to push the boundaries of consent planning, design, engineering and civil construction; to produce a completely unique living environment.
Each lot has been developed with a sensitivity to the shape and feel of the land, the existing mature trees, and the heritage stone walls which are a feature throughout the development.
Beautifully designed walkways and pathways connect different areas within Karanui, providing a peaceful and enjoyable connection with the surrounding land. These unique attributes have been well-received in the current market, with only 4 lots remaining as the final stage obtains title in the coming weeks.
Simon Reiher is the Director managing Cato Bolam's Whangarei office, and was the instigator of the development style of Karanui. From the moment Simon set foot on the gently rolling, volcanic land, he understood that there was something completely unique about the location and the surrounding environment.
With Pukenui Forest providing a dramatic backdrop, the land had an existing presence that was hard to define. The mature stands of native trees, the meandering stone walls, the soft, inviting contours: this land development was obvious to the Cato Bolam team, and they have spent over 4 years ensuring that the development stayed true to the spirit of the landscape.
Beautifully designed walkways and pathways connect different areas within Karanui, providing a peaceful and enjoyable connection with the surrounding land.
With careful management of the design and development process, Evo Holdings and Cato Bolam have focused their efforts on creating an environmentally sustainable development, one that integrates the landscape and features, encouraging interaction with both the land and environment.
Each lot has a distinct feel to it, and each boundary has been thoughtfully created to ensure the flow of the landscape is not interrupted. This is no 'out of the box' development: Karanui is a bespoke living environment unlike anything currently existing in New Zealand.
Every aspect of the development of Karanui celebrates the natural environment, and for Simon, this is exactly where he envisioned the project heading.
The landscaping, the civil design and the urban design policies create a vibrant and connected community living in an integrated way with their natural surroundings.
'We had high aspirational goals for this development,' says Simon, 'Evo Holdings and Cato Bolam together created a process philosophy that permeated through the design and consent work, the civil engineering designs right through to developing the final titles. We considered how the roads, water flow and boundaries were going to interact with the landscape, and how this would influence building layout. We planned for having an environmentally integrated living experience, focused on protection by inclusion and ownership, rather than fencing and exclusion. It all moulded together with our environmental beliefs.
That policy of environmental sustainability sits at the core of the design for Karanui.'
Karanui is a bespoke living environment unlike anything currently existing in New Zealand.
With the first three stages of development occupied, Simon and the team at Cato Bolam are now seeing the fruits from that level of thought and planning, with the landscaping, the civil design and the urban design policies creating a vibrant and connected community living in an integrated way with their natural surroundings.
'We are thrilled that the residents are also becoming involved with conservation efforts with the Pukenui Forest Trust, perpetuating our philosophy in ways that we couldn't have begun to hope for. Karanui is a special place, and the people who live here now have become truly integrated with this land and environment.'
