Wattle Bay: A lifetime of living

CEDRIC GRAY visits a wonderful old property with beauty, charm and long-lasting character on its side.

Time is catching up on veteran Awhitu peninsula farmer Alan Gaskell, but it shows no sign of dulling the beauty and serenity of his 4.5ha property at Wattle Bay, near the entrance to Manukau Harbour.

Pleasant Valley, as the property is known, once formed part of a 204ha sheep and cattle unit that Alan farmed for 40 years. He has shared the cosy, 113-year-old kauri villa with his wife, Elizabeth, since they married 37 years ago.

"The old limbs are starting to wear out," Alan says with a smile. "We have had a wonderful life here with all this raw, unspoilt natural beauty, yet in no way have we ever felt isolated."

The couple enjoy views across the harbour to Cornwallis and the Waitakere Ranges. "Occasionally we can hear the throb of traffic in the Auckland suburbs," he says. The boats and fishing vessels negotiating the Manukau Heads are another link with civilisation.

Wattle Bay, which is about a kilometre from Pleasant Valley, is one of the peninsula's beauty spots. It has well-sheltered picnic grounds, a sandy beach frontage and boats can be launched on all tides.

Shellfish beds are within easy reach, and the game-fishing grounds outside the harbour entrance are a relatively new-found attraction.

The villa, at the head of a sheltered valley, retains strong links with early European settlement. It was built in 1889 with kauri shipped from Onehunga and pin-sawn rimu and totara felled on the property.

The kauri-carved surround around the large, open fireplace - which now boasts a modern Jetmaster burner - is a feature of the interior, and the original window shutters on the exterior are still in place.

The original building consisted of four rooms. There are now three bedrooms, an office, two bathrooms, a large lounge and living area and a modern kitchen.

An internal-access double garage, a laundry and a utility room were added in 1974.

The outbuildings include a woolshed, a large workshop (with power), a hay shed and sheep and cattle yards.

The Gaskells graze beef yearling cattle on five level paddocks. There is ample trough water, natural springs and an additional catchment from a small stream.

A small wetland area, which is fenced and planted with native trees, attracts a variety of wildlife.

The couple plan to retire to Tauranga. The property is for sale at an asking price of $369,000. Contact Judy Morris at Barfoot & Thompson, Waiuku, on 09 235 1209 or 025 275 8420 for details.