Country: Magnificent

Smell the bush and listen to the waves crashing at Muriwai Beach from this spectacular, if not unusual, lifestyle property, as VICKI HOLDER reports.

Blossoming in a blaze of red in summer, a canopy of 100-year-old pohutukawa trees gathers like fiery clouds trapped in the valley below. Native bush clings to the hills all around, fashioning a dramatic natural amphitheatre that rises above the rolling green countryside.

It is to this magnificent setting in Woodhill, 15 minutes north-west of Kumeu, that model Rachel Hunter and her two children, Renee and Liam, return when they come home to be nurtured by mum, Jeneen Phillips.

"Rachel loves it here," says Jeneen. "Even though she's a city girl, she adores the earthy smell of the bush."

Several years ago, Jeneen and her dentist husband, Geoff Fraser, discovered this spectacular valley, where you can hear the waves crashing at Muriwai Beach over the hills. Rather than trying to compete with their property's awesome beauty, they called on architect Brett de Thier to design a home that blended into the landscape.

Tall, box-like and timber, the unusual building looks more like an unsophisticated farmyard shelter than a home. Rearing up against a mammoth wall of rugged boulders that flanks the driveway, it's difficult to imagine how delightfully warm and homely it is inside.

But this is no ordinary home, in more ways than one. Before Jeneen and Geoff moved here, they had to resolve the problem of getting power to the property. Because there was already a windmill on the land, they decided to harness its full capacity to make the home completely energy efficient.

As a result, the batteries for the electricity in the house and the self-contained guest cottage above are charged by wind power. And there are no power bills to pay at the end of the month. Best of all, says Jeneen, it's healthier as you don't need to worry about the potentially harmful effects of electro-magnetic fields around the house.

Because of the home's barn-like outward appearance, you expect to step into a dark, cavernous interior. A large timber door, with bold brass handles from a butcher's freezer door, opens to an expansive, beautifully proportioned, light-filled room.

Golden walls and eucalyptus floors glow in a soft, warm light cast from the skylights in the roof. As the tall ceiling slopes down towards the valley, you are drawn towards bifold doors that reach across a vast, sheltered terrace. Steps to a lower-level balcony mean the balustrade disappears, so there's nothing between you and the view.

Jeneen and Geoff live mostly on the terrace in summer, hosting barbecues or roasting a pig on a spit for friends and family. Geoff breeds pigs on the land and relishes the opportunity to entertain country style.

But Jeneen's pride and joy is her enormous aga cooker - big, shiny and black in a corner of the rimu kitchen. Equipped with several hot plates and ovens for every function - roasting, baking, casseroles and warming food - it also powers the heaters throughout the house. "You never need to clean it," says Jeneen, "it gets so hot. I never believed it would be enough as the only means of cooking, so we have a gas hob that sits beside it. But we never use it."

At the back of the room, dark burgundy walls on either side of the entry add intimacy to a separate dining area and a sitting space. This area has a log fire with a limestone surround.

Bedroom wings project from either end of the living area. There's a guest bedroom suite plus another bedroom converted to a study at one end. And the children's room and the master suite live at the other. Both the study and the master bedroom open through bifolds on to the deck. When you stand in the shower of the big master en suite you can look straight out to the view.

Jeneen and Geoff have loved escaping to the country life, but equally they love change. As an artist, Jeneen is the ideas person, and Geoff is not averse to coming up with the structural work. Together, they look forward to the challenge of creating another beautiful home.

Vital statistics:

ADDRESS: 21 Goudie Rd, Woodhill.

FEATURES: Rural property with native trees, wetland and grazing land; subdivision potential; energy-efficient home with power driven by windmill; energy-efficient appliances; four bedrooms master with en suite; large laundry plus storage; huge terrace with bush views; tank water supply; self-contained cottage; chicken coop.

SIZE: Land area 6.1536ha.

AUCTION: On site at 3pm, June 23.

AGENT: Peter Young, Harcourts Hobsonville Realty. Ph 412 7666 bus; 021 276 0808 mob.