If you live in the countryside near a big city, eventually town comes out to meet you. In 1980, when John and Paula Kempthorne set up their deer farm at Koromatua on the south west of Hamilton, it had terrific views of the rolling land all the way to Mount Pirongia.
"It's a terrific place to live then, and now, even as the city has spread, we still get our mountain views. We reckon 'west is best', as we're not built out like on the east," says John. "We're still so close to everything, it's a wonderful place to bring up a family."
When the family bought the farm, there was a little old house which they considered remodelling. But as the family grew -- eventually to seven -- Paula and John's remodel finished up as a virtual rebuild, adding a second floor and spreading into several living rooms and studies.
The couple always design things themselves, using a draughtsman to detail plans. They'd lived there for over a decade before rebuilding, so knew exactly what they needed to accommodate the family, how the prevailing winds behaved. The result is that indoors and out, they've created the best spots around the day, and the year to relax. While it was great to have space to spread -- there are six bedrooms over two floors -- the Kempthornes were also particular about details.
Even after 20 years John is still full of praise for the builders and tradespeople who worked on the colonial-style house. With bagged brick and wide weatherboard exterior finish, paving and stone walls from Tairua, fibrous plaster cornicing and detailed rimu joinery through out, it demonstrates a craftsmanship that has almost died out.
The entrance to the homestead, through stacked stone gate posts, is gracious and welcoming, with a double garage off to one side. Flower gardens and mature trees frame the house, and John says the vege garden and fruit trees pretty much kept the family self sufficient. If need be, the shops of Hinsdale or Frankton are only five minutes away.
Image 1 of 5: Featuring craftsmanship rarely seen today, this former deer farm has plenty to offer. Photos / supplied
The couple specified wood burners in both living rooms, one with a wetback for hot water, underfloor heating downstairs and HRV systems upstairs and down. The French doors to covered patios and old-school verandahs, mean there are always sheltered spots in the summer and sunny sitting in the winter.
The kitchen was worked on by Paula, and has survived the test of time for feeding the family and entertaining crowds. John laughs that there were many weekends of the living room floors covered in sleeping bags from visiting kids. Fortunately there is a master suite, complete with private terrace, when the parents needed to retreat.
The farm, known as Windermere Homestead, was one of the first commercial deer ventures in New Zealand. John says it was an exciting time pioneering the industry (deer were only fenced in 1975), creating a successful stud for high quality deer velvet animals. At its peak, Windermere was running 550 deer on 85 acres, but gradually everything except the home farm of 3.6 hectares was sold off. The book-lined study was a serious HQ for the farm, now it is a tempting place to linger for its views over the paddocks through gracious arched windows.
"But the kids have left home, the deer are gone, and now its time for us to leave," says John. He and Paula are building a new place at Whitianga and selling their happy family spread.
With the new speedy connections to Te Rapa and expressway links to Auckland, John reckons this could just about become a lifestyle holiday property for Aucklanders. That may be pushing the city spread just a little far, but with this glorious lifestyle priced at less than a Grey Lynn do up, it is not a bad idea.