Whitford: Stay a while

With the appeal of an English country estate, this fabulous rural homestead offers relaxed living and the height of good taste. By VICKI HOLDER.

Encapsulating the gentle, rural splendour of an English country estate, every inch of this Whitford property is tailored to draw you into a beguiling scene of seduction.

From the long driveway lined with pleached London plane trees - which takes you away from the road and past the pond to the charming, red brick homestead spilling north-west to views of the estuary - it's the kind of place that nudges you to unwind and begs you to stay a while.

The vast, park-like grounds flourish, benefiting from an unlimited water supply and automated watering systems.

The gardens, designed by Denise Saussey, are extensively planted with sweeping hedges and mature trees rising from a velvety carpet of green lawn. Beyond an immaculate potager garden with vegetables that look too good to eat, a field of poplars rolls down to liquidambars, pin oaks and magnolias, which create a fine playground for the native birds. Pine trees form a border to the south, while the views north-west reach as far as Waiheke Island.

A rustic barn greets you in the large forecourt. Providing a workshop, additional parking and storage with an attic above, it invites further development as possible bed and breakfast accommodation. At night the weather vane on the gable lights up, allowing you to appreciate the property at any time of the day.

Designed by Alan Paul Architects (Ardos), the red brick house is the essence of country style. Testimony to the good taste of the owners, it demonstrates the considerable thought that has gone into its planning, furnishings and choice of colours.

Think of the classic English textile houses, such as Osborne & Little, and you get the picture. Warm reds, forest greens and golden caramels on the walls and the plain and plaid drapes are offset by natural materials - slate floors and sisal-look wool carpets. A grand Kaimai stone fireplace in the entertaining lounge provides a country lodge ambience. Halogens and unusual copper and glass pendant lights lend a traditional flavour.

The family areas have a great flow, revolving around the island bench in the big farmhouse kitchen. It has an English country flavour in the cream tongue-and-groove cabinetry.

As English as it feels, it's definitely a home that lets you enjoy the temperate New Zealand weather. French doors from all the living areas and many of the bedrooms open to an expansive terrace that looks north-west across the garden.

The master bedroom, up the solid elm stairs, escapes from the noise of the household. A peaceful sanctuary where space is plentiful, it features a separate bathroom with a clawfoot bath, a large, walk-in dressing room and loads of storage under the eaves. French doors ease out to a balcony, offering the perfect spot to take in the full glory of the location.

The bedrooms and the four generous rooms downstairs are fitted with phone jacks and TV and computer outlets.

Warmth is not merely a visual thing in this home. The entire house is heated or cooled by a ducted, split-cycle air-conditioning unit, which provides year-round temperature control.

Not just beautiful, this home and garden is relaxing and easy to live in, and the neighbours couldn't be more pleasant.

Vital statistics:

ADDRESS: 198 Broomfields Rd, Whitford.

FEATURES: Lifestyle property stretching from Broomfields Rd to Maungamaungaroa Estuary; house and garden on level terrain with gentle contour; brick-and-tile house and barn built in 1997; copper spouting and downpipes; five bedrooms; three bathrooms; two living areas; underground wine cellar; heat pump air conditioning; eight-zone monitored alarm system; electronic gates; bore water; outdoor lighting; Grohe and Buades tapware; Kaimai stone fireplace; wiring in place for swimming pool.

SIZE: Land area 1.9ha; floor area 380sq m plus 100sq m barn.

TENDER: Closes November 6.

AGENT: Wayne Allen, Bayleys, Howick. Ph 535 5480 bus; 021 685 511 mob.