SCHOOL ZONES:
Dairy Flat Primary School, Orewa College.
CONTACT:
Roy Champtaloup, Ray White, 027 555 5557 or 09 929 2342.
AUCTION:
November 24 at noon, on site.
After about 15 years living in cities such as Singapore, London, Chicago and Shanghai, Suzie and Rob Pelsky were ready for a lifestyle block in New Zealand.
"We lived overseas for a long time in apartments in the concrete jungle so what we wanted was grass, privacy and a dog,"says Suzie.
They got all that -- including the dog -- when they bought this house seven years ago
"We looked for six or seven months and we had this idea that we wanted a U-shaped house with a pool in the middle," says Rob. "And when I saw this I told Suzie that I thought I had found it."
Down a long driveway and set back from the road, which has little traffic, the home is quiet and has a serene outlook across its paddocks or towards the stand of mature bush at the rear.
After years in big and busy cities, Rob and Suzie have enjoyed the change of pace of country living, and the different rituals.
"When we have get-togethers here we go for an adventure in the bush and get sweaty and grubby," says Rob. "And around December we have a working bee and drag all the dead branches out of the bush for firewood."
Rob enjoys getting on his ride-on mower to do the lawns around the house, and cows normally take care of the paddocks, which have post and rail fences.
"We've put a lot more native plants in the garden and tried to make it as low maintenance as possible with lots of bark around," says Suzie. "I've also enjoyed my vege garden and we do a lot of cooking."
Image 1 of 6: A lawn big enough for a ride-on mower and grazing cows to help make a dull chore fun. Photos / Ted Baghurst
A smiling Buddha in the front garden welcomes visitors, who enter through double doors into a foyer off which is an office that looks out towards the drive, which has an alarm on it to let the Pelskys know if anyone is driving in.
Straight ahead from the foyer is the tile-floored dining room that opens out to extensive decking wrapping around the heated, saltwater in-ground pool. Beyond the pool is a large expanse of lawn framed by native bush -- the perfect setting for their daughter's wedding.
To one side of the central dining room, the kitchen/family room is a large, relaxed space warmed by a woodburner. A stone-topped breakfast bar is a natural congregation point.
Off the other side of the dining room is a carpeted formal lounge with gas fire. "It's the perfect place for drinking wine and telling lies," laughs Rob.
Beyond the formal lounge -- in its own wing -- the master bedroom looks out to the pool and has an en suite and walk-in wardrobe. The other bedrooms are towards the front of the house, meaning there is a nice separation when guests are staying. All the living spaces and the master bedroom open out to the pool area, which has a spa pool tucked in one corner.
Rob and Suzie have made few changes to the house but they did give the kitchen and two bathrooms more modern benchtops.
Behind the double garage is a second double garage, which the couple use for storage and to house machinery and tools. A workbench in the corner is ideal for tinkering.
"Any lifestyle block you need a shed like this," says Rob. "I never thought I would need all these things but it's great to have somewhere to keep them."
Their three children are now getting on with their own lives, so the couple are looking to downsize.
