Our place: Relax, it's Taranaki

By GRAHAM REID

In the handsomely decorated lounge of Henwood House, which sits in farmland 10 minutes from the centre of New Plymouth, are two photo albums which patrons of this lovely bed and breakfast can consider at their leisure before the roaring fire.

Here, in a collection of casual snapshots, is the history of recent renovations which turned this once dark and inward-looking 19th-century colonial homestead into an airy, charming home-away-from-home.

Owners Graeme and Lynne Axten modestly don't mention the work they have put into Henwood House unless asked, but it would be a hard heart that didn't congratulate them on a huge task so beautifully finished.

Built in 1890, Henwood House now boasts upstairs rooms with en suites, a room with a balcony offering a commanding view of the landscape, and a large lounge and dining area.

In the upstairs area is a small, open, communal kitchenette with coffee and tea-making facilities (plus an excellent range of herbal teas and delicious cookies), and breakfasts are served in the large dining room downstairs which, as with the lounge, has an open fire and opens out onto the patio.

Home-cooked dinners are by arrangement ($35 a person) but the substantial breakfasts - pancakes, omelets, bacon'n'egg and sausages - are included in the accommodation price ($120 a night for a comfortable room for two).

Located in quiet countryside within sight of Mt Taranaki and just minutes from the airport and the coast, Henwood House is tasteful and discreet, comfortable and homely.

Henwood House, 314 Henwood Rd, New Plymouth, ph/fax (06) 755 1212, e-mail henwood.house@xtra.co.nz