Karori home with stunning harbour views

Aunique Karori home with a stunning harbour view and sustainable architectural legacy is on the market for the first time since 2003.

The secluded four-to-six bedroom house, at 3A Baxter Way, is at the end of a private, peaceful cul-de-sac and looks north over its own pocket of regenerating native bush with walkways and seating.

Richard Wright, of Aonui Architecture, designed the 236-square metre house to follow the contours of the elevated 1017sqm Wright’s Hill site, describing it as “a microcosm of the twisting, zigzagging streets up to the house from the floor of the Karori Valley.

“A sense of detachment - a special place that was neither city or country - was one objective.

“Another aim was to create the equivalent of an outdoor space within the house.

“The house became a piece of captured hillside comprising terraces, tracks and a cave or two.”

Built of reinforced yellow brick masonry and deep purple timber framing, on concrete foundations over greywacke, it includes a studio or guest wing extension in keeping with the original character and has three levels of ramp decking.

Unusually for Karori, it boasts stunning views not only over the valley floor to the Skyline Track but also out to the harbour and north of Petone.

These are showcased from the living/dining room with heat pump, TV or media room, step-up lounge with fireplace, and main bedroom suite, all of which have floor-to-ceiling glazing.

The living/dining room also has a double-height stud, opens to the main deck and is openplan with the galley kitchen, which includes a double oven, gas cooktop and dishwasher.

Also on this level are a study (or optional bedroom) and separate toilet.

Upstairs are the doublebedrooms with built-in storage, hideaway laundry, separate toilet and two bathrooms: a family bathroom with a showerover-bath and an ensuite for the main bedroom.

Other features include a double carport, a large workshop, a large basement for extra storage, and private steps to Wrights Hill Rd walking and mountain biking tracks that lead to Makara Peak Mountain Bike Park.

“This unique home has been well maintained by the vendors over the past 19 years and will appeal to families who want to live close to nature and those who appreciate its architectural significance,” William Cummings, of Tommy’s Real Estate, says.

“It’s predominantly doubleglazed and offers a choice of living rooms, including a versatile extension that would be perfect for guests or to work from home.

“It’s in a very special, private native bush setting and enjoys an exceptional expansive harbour view that’s rare for a Karori home.

“Because of the elevation and the reserve, it can’t be built out from or overshadowed, and its engineered contour design fits the section, optimises the sun and makes it one of Wellington’s safest and, for its era, most sustainable homes.”