Titirangi: Bush-clad high life

A Sydney couple traded in the city life to live among the trees at this sunny home high up in the Waitakere Ranges.

"A lot of Titirangi is on the wrong side of the hill so it's cold. Our friends said to buy north-facing, and boy are we so glad we did"

An overwhelming urge to escape the rat race led Sydney couple Andrew and Leesa Slade to up sticks and move across the Tasman to this secluded Titirangi home.

Keen to take time out from their busy lives and travel around New Zealand, they sold up, packed their lives into a shipping container and flew into Auckland in search of a new life.

Upon the advice of friends from New Zealand, they began their quest in Titirangi, perched high in the bush-clad Waitakere Ranges west of the city.

Within days, they found exactly what they were looking for - a four-bedroom family home in one of the area's loveliest streets, just eight minutes' walk from Titirangi village, and 20 minutes' drive from Auckland city in one direction and the West Coast beaches in the other.

"It's a brilliant location," says Leesa. "You can't get this in Sydney. It's a lifestyle we couldn't have had back home. What we've found here is what we had when we were growing up. It's a real community and everyone has been unbelievably helpful to us."

The home even has a fully self-contained guest room with its own bathroom and external access, perfect for hosting all the family and friends who have taken the opportunity to visit during their sojourn. "When people come out here they are breathtaken," says Andrew. "They are so surprised at what they see."

The original house was built in the 1940s in Art Deco style, with curved walls, plaster cladding and wooden joinery. "I'm an Art Deco lover so it suited me down to the ground," says Leesa. In 1985, a third level was added, bringing the living areas up above the tree line and accessing splendid city, bush and harbour views. A curving wall of floor-to-ceiling windows echoes the original lines of the home, while the open-plan living and dining areas open to a barbecue deck that's in constant use throughout the year.

All the living areas face north to catch the all-day sun. "A lot of Titirangi is on the wrong side of the hill so it's cold," says Leesa. "But our friends said to buy north-facing, and boy are we so glad we did."

Stairs from the entry hall lead down to a second living area, used as a toy room by the couple's two children. This level also houses three bedrooms, including the master bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe and luxurious en suite. The home was previously owned by a family in the marble business, so the en suite is extravagantly clad in marble tiles with a six-jet shower and huge indoor spa.

The outlook from this level is more intimate, giving the effect of living in a tree house. "We wake up and look out into the trees," says Leesa. "You feel like you're in the bush, which is great."

Down a curved staircase is the guest bedroom, its en suite also clad floor-to-ceiling in marble. Ideal for visiting guests or teenagers, this room also offers vast storage.

The owners before Leesa and Andrew entirely redecorated the home, installing a modern kitchen, laying fashionable taupe textured carpet and painting the walls in subdued neutral shades that ideally suit the bush setting.

The 1450sq m section is lushly planted with mature native trees, including pohutukawa, nikau and ponga, in which wood pigeons and tui make their home. A kidney-shaped, heated pool is nestled into a slate and wood courtyard on the lower level, with its own kitchenette on hand for poolside entertaining. It is securely fenced, with additional fencing in place for a portable spa. A bush-clad reserve right next door provides a challenging, yet safe, adventure playground for children.

With the well-respected Titirangi Primary School just five minutes' walk along the secluded lane, the home is ideal for a family. "It's perfect for kids," says Leesa. "They've really blossomed here. It's an amazing home. It's not just a house, it's a home. We're really sad to go. It's been unforgettable."

As Andrew's work and family ties in Sydney draw the couple back across the Tasman, they'll be looking to recapture some of the idyllic country lifestyle they've come to love so much here - perhaps in the Blue Mountains away from the stress of central-city living.