Invest in a Lifestyle

Lifestyle setting on the edge of the city

Negotiation Range $570,000 - $610,000

By Lyn Humphreys

The whistling wings of kereru and the peep, peep, peep of kingfishers greet you as you arrive at the attractive two-storey house at 14 Ridgewood Drive off Veale Rd in rural New Plymouth.

A sweeping tree-lined driveway winds up to the large five bedroom secluded home on the north-facing 1.3ha property just a hilltop away from the city.

The Australian owners are reluctant sellers. This was to be their dream retirement home which they were delighted to discover seven years ago after an extensive search. But with their three adult children well settled across the Tasman, the couple have had a re-think and now intend to live in the hills above Adelaide.

The Ridgewood Drive property ticked all the boxes for them at the time giving them the beauty and seclusion they craved along with sufficient land to develop an orchard and garden.

"We looked all around Tasmania and the South Island and then happened to come to New Plymouth (where Meryl was born and raised) and said, 'That's exactly the place we're looking for,' and bought it. It's beautiful. But our family and work means we have to stay in Australia. "

The ticked boxes included the desired high sunshine hours, good rainfall and fertile soil all in a sheltered, sunny area. "It was the land we were after and it has good fences and a stable."

The property boasts its own bore water. And an extra-large 50,000-litre water tank means no-one here should ever run out, Meryl says. "And if you do, the bore kicks in."

The trickle-feed town supply is there as a backstop "... but it's never necessary".
They also liked the house, its privacy, its big windows, the sunny north-facing aspect and the fact it is tucked into a gentle tree-covered hillside so gets shelter on three sides. "It was everything we wanted."

Over the years, different owners have added to the original one-level home with its balcony running off all three upstairs bedrooms and its distinctive circular feature window in the lounge. Rimu flooring has been added to the dining area.

Downstairs, two bedrooms, office, a toilet, and a "massive" workshop/games room with super-sized doors have been more recent additions.

Meryl believes the bottom level could have a myriad of uses and would easily convert into a granny flat, or teenagers' retreat, home offices or bed-and-breakfast accommodation. One of the downstairs rooms, which conveniently has pipes nearby, could be very simply converted to a bathroom, she suggests, and another small room could become a kitchenette.

The exterior of the house is dark-brown rough sawn timber, which she loves, and has aluminium joinery and a steep-pitched iron roof. There is a large two-bay carport underneath. The house was built by a reputable builder, she says. "It is structurally as sound as a bell."

Upstairs, Meryl, an accomplished cook, has taken the first step towards upgrading the kitchen and its walk-in pantry by adding two extra-large Fisher and Paykel wall ovens and - her pride and joy - an induction cooktop. "I would not have anything else."

The rest of the "retro" kitchen and house they would have modernised in time, but this will now be left to the imagination of its new owner. Heating in the open-plan lounge and dining room is provided by a gas-fuelled heater.

The master bedroom has an ensuite and walk-in dressing room/wardrobe. Both the upstairs bathrooms are ducted to the outside. Hot water comes from a new Infinity gas hot water system and the house is kept warm and dry by an efficient "Dry-Matic" system ducting the dry air from the ceiling into the house.

In all, there are three toilets - two up, one down. The separate laundry upstairs leads straight to the clothesline on the back lawn.

A conveniently placed overhead walkway takes you to a field close to the house which Meryl had chosen for her garden-to-be. "It was going to be our vege garden. It is sunny, sheltered and close to the house."

Previous owners planted damson plum and apple trees. There are also blueberries and lemon, orange, mandarin, sweet tangelo and grapefruit trees.

The sloping hillside below the house has enough grazing for two to three horses or could run two cattle and up to five sheep. In all, there are three large and two small paddocks all with electric fencing and controlled water troughs.

The stable in the bottom field has two bays, a tack room and feed bay. At one stage, the roadside flat was a practice dressage area, she says.

The peace and quiet offers a valued retreat from the hustle and bustle of today's busy life. And because Ridgewood Drive is a loop road, there is little through traffic. The closest house is a good distance away and well out of sight.

"You would have no idea there's a city just over that hill," Meryl says, pointing over the green, tree-covered hill to the north. "I'm sad I can't pick it up and move it to Australia."

The property is being marketed by Dianne Douds of TSB Realty in the price range of $570,000 to $610,000.

Dianne can be reached on 0800 434 872.