Kumeu/Huapai: Exceptional investment

A quality country lifestyle awaits at this extensive West Auckland property. By VICKI HOLDER.

The burgeoning demand for small lifestyle properties close to the city has made bigger holdings of land in the Kumeu/Huapai region almost impossible to find.

So this 35ha farm in the beautiful Matua Valley wine district, just 25 minutes from the CBD, is an exceptional opportunity for somebody looking for a more productive land bank. The fact that it's in Matua Rd - named in the Where To Live In Auckland real estate guide as the best street in the area - makes the property even more sought after.

With more than 31ha of quality pasture extending from the road to a picturesque river boundary, it also has 3.3ha of native forest and bush in a magnificent natural ampitheatre containing just about every native tree, climber, grass and fern, as well as some more unusual plants seldom seen in New Zealand. A consultant evaluating the quality of the bush, which is to be covenanted on a separate title, has scored it highly, saying it qualifies as significant and protecting it will have "significant benefits for terrestrial fauna and flora and provide security for the future of this area".

Originally a cattle and sheep farm, the property was converted to a horse stud about 17 years ago by owners Geoff and Jenny West. While Geoff had grown up with horses, the lifestyle was entirely new for Jenny. Very quickly the scale of the stud grew. The couple soon found themselves with around 40 horses with a full equestrian facility and two stable blocks.

One of their most famous steeds, Bru Czar, won the Auckland Pacing Cup in 1990. Jenny says she became very attached to this animal and was devastated when he died, which is when they wound down the operation and it reverted to a cattle farm.

Spoilt for a choice of places to build their home on this beautiful piece of land, Geoff and Jenny selected a spot several hundred metres from the road, looking out almost due north into the forest ampitheatre. They had Hamilton design firm Care-Cottrell Pickering - well-known for country houses - create a large, two-level, cedar and brick home with five bedrooms.

As the children got bigger and busier they decided to extend further with an addition by architects Andrew Scott Cotton. An extra casual living area now opens through bifolds to a sheltered terrace overlooking the swimming pool. This is where the family likes to entertain these days, for the sun pours in all day long. Even in the evening, beneath the lights in the huge cedar soffit, this is where they usually enjoy dinner.

All the living spaces are open and connected across the entry, but each has a different ambience to suit any occasion. The newer extension features slate-tiled flooring, and with the wall of bifolds drawn back it has the feeling of being outside. A huge lounge with simple cream curtains tied back at the windows offers a more formal entertaining space. There is a traditional fireplace on the hearth, but underfloor heating beneath the tiled areas means it is hardly ever used.

At the other end, a big cream kitchen is easy for more than one person to work in. There is loads of bench space and areas for kids to dump their stuff. An island in the middle adds storage and a low breakfast bar is a relaxed place to catch a bite.

There is an office at the front door and a bathroom downstairs, along with four bedrooms upstairs. Walk-in wardrobes were not the thing when the house was built, but plans have been drawn up to extend the master bedroom into a massive storage area to give a modern dressing room.

Connected to the house across a carport, three-car garaging adjoins the stablemaster's self-contained quarters with a room upstairs, which could be turned into an office or an area for teenagers.

Behind the house, a concrete tennis court gets a lot of use in summer and a lake creates a pretty water feature along the drive.

Encapsulating true country living, this large, quality property offers a superb lifestyle plus an exceptional investment on three titles with a fourth title pending.

Vital Statistics

ADDRESS: Matua, 366 Matua Rd, Kumeu/Huapai, Auckland.

FEATURES: Large lifestyle property with more than 31ha of quality pasture and 3.3ha of native bush and forest; architectural five-bedroom home with self-contained flat; swimming pool; spa pool; tennis court; deep water bore; 500m all-weather horse training track; two stable blocks with tack and feed rooms and gearing-up areas; 48 yearling steers valued at around $30,000; ride-on mower; Honda farm bike and trailer; Ford tractor; Winstone sprayer; to be sold as a going concern.

SIZE: Land area 35ha.

TENDER CLOSES: 4pm, November 7.

AGENT: David Savery, Saverys. Ph 025 317 172 mob.