741 Wainui Road, Wainui. Photo / Supplied
When John and Lyndle Lister and their family of three bought this rural property at Wainui 12 years ago, it came with a three-bedroom home and a separate sewing room.
They have now extended the home to have one-third more space, including an extra bedroom.
"The house was built in the 80s and I think we are only the third owners," he says.
They also added a two-bedroom cottage for Lyndle's mum, who lived with them for three years. The 5.3ha property also has a large shed, and they use the sewing room as an office, says John.
Their Settler home, measuring 327sq m, is built of Hardie's fibre-cement board. For heating they have a heat pump and a log fire.
"It is a lovely family home and we have had horses and all sorts of animals on the land. We have sheep, alpacas and cows at the moment," says John.
"There were five of us plus Lyndle's mum when we first moved in, and it has gradually dwindled down to just the two of us."
When they started looking to buy a rural property, they searched first in Dairy Flat and Coatesville but found what they wanted was a little bit further, here at Wainui.
"It was then more of a rural locality, and the town has come to us," says John.
"You have the motorway right there and all the shops and beaches. It is accessible to all the leisure stuff.
"And we realised the shops and everything were at Orewa Beach, Silverdale and Whangaparaoa."
He says the house is private, set back from the road with a 200m long driveway.
"We can see everything that is happening on the property because the house is at the back of the property and we look out to the road," he says.
"We have always felt safe here. It is nice to be back from the road.
"So many places are built close to the road to save costs on electricity [installation] when they build the house. This house was built by a pharmacist in the city. It was his holiday and weekend retreat so he built it where he wanted."
The couple's home has three bedrooms upstairs and an office/bedroom downstairs. The open plan living on the ground level has the living, dining and kitchen. Four doors open to the deck outside, with a spa pool at one end.
Both the upstairs master bedroom and the downstairs bedroom open to decks. The bedroom/office has its own entrance off the deck, which is accessed off the driveway, meaning it could be used for a work-from-home situation.
A feature of the interior is the vertical timber walls, giving the home a country feel. Adding contrast is the kitchen where the walls have been painted.
Taking pride of place in the kitchen are the island's macrocarpa slab benchtop and the 900mm wide Delonghi gas top and electric oven.
There is a pizza oven and fireplace in front of the home. This private area is hedged and sheltered from any breeze. Behind the home is another entertaining area with a petanque court, barbecue, fountain and garden.
"It has a nice Mediterranean feel," says John.
The couple has spent the last 12 years improving the property, purposely setting it up to be low maintenance.
"Because of that, it is an easy property to enjoy rather than being a chore. People have life sentence properties and lifestyle properties. This is a lifestyle property.
They are selling to move to Mapua.
"Businesswise, we are in a position where we can move on, and the kids are in South Canterbury, Christchurch and Hawke's Bay, so we may as well be where we want to be.
Mapua is central for everyone, it is a new start for us and it keeps us occupied," says John.
He and Lyndle would like to see a family buy this property.
"There is plenty of room. Even if it was grandparents as well, with the cottage there, it is like a home and income. There are four bedrooms in the house and another two outside.
There are good schools in the area and plenty of activities. The Wainui Pony Club is just down the road, and in the other direction there is the Wainui golf course."