A very small brown dog guards the entrance to Malcolm Norton and Shelley Hamilton's house at the top of the hill above Waipu Cove.
If he weren't so tiny and so outrageously cute, the big, Mediterranean-style house might feel rather imposing, and that would be the last thing Shelley wouldwant.
When she and Malcolm planned the house she was determined it would be warm, rustic, homely and "not precious". Whatever formula they applied to the design was successful, because this is immediately recognisable as a "shoes-on" house that works as a family home and a focal point for the farmland and native bush that surrounds it.
The recycled jarrah, fresco-style paint-washed walls, lichen-covered roof tiles and classic furnishings give it a timeless look inside and out. It could be 100 years old but, in fact, it was built in 2000/2001.
Malcolm bought the whole farm sight unseen in 1992. He actually wanted a lifestyle block as opposed to 240 unseen acres of derelict dairy farm, but a friend who had seen the property encouraged him to go ahead, and he did.
In order to realise their dreams here, Malcolm and Shelley introduced three sets of friends to the mix, creating separate titles for each family and arranging for the remainder to be held in partnership. "We call it a marriage," Shelley laughs, adding that the four families are all still talking, all still friends, and gearing up to celebrate their 25th "wedding anniversary" in three years.
By that time Shelley and Malcolm may have moved on, but not very far - the plan is to build again on another part of the land, downsizing a little to suit their "age and stag".
"I can't wait to do it all again," Shelley says, explaining how much she enjoyed the process of designing, building and landscaping this property.
It was a slow process. It took a year to get the plans drawn up and then a year to build. But considering the size and complexity of the house, it all came together with few hitches. materials like the recycled jarrah used throughout had been collected over time, and Shelley had put together clippings, samples and fabrics, and had sorted out all her ideas about colours.
The brief was for a Mediterranean-style farmhouse that would look old and weathered, with a kitchen and family area at its heart, a private, almost cave-like lounge, and all the other rooms wide open to the view.
Shelley's favourite place is the kitchen. "I like to cook when I have time and I love cooking with other people. There's plenty of space to do that."
There's also plenty of space in the bedroom. It has its own sitting area, which is an inviting retreat, and an en suite of which the centrepiece is a very large, listello-tiled bath. Shelley, a horsewoman, likes to soak in the tub after riding the 7km of track on the property, or working in the garden.
Image 1 of 5: 1178D Cove Rd, Waipu Cove.
There's about a hectare of garden around the house, a lush mix of subtropicals and natives, including a superb collection of hibiscus, and a pool as the centrepiece.
A little further away are the orchard, vegetable garden and berry garden, all organic and all very productive.
About half of the remaining farm acreage is in regenerating native bush, which provides an outlook that almost competes with Bream Bay.
When Shelley and Malcolm build again, their house may be smaller; however, the views will still be huge.
