Architectural grandeur in city-end Makara

Aunique lifestyle property that offers everything from hunting and horse-riding to architectural grandeur and agroforestry is for sale for the first time in city-end Makara.

The modern five-bedroom character home, at 148 Makara Rd, is sequestered amid 25.6108 hectares of recreational splendour 15-20 minutes’ drive from Wellington City.

It was developed from a forestry block that owners Guy Holmes and Liesbeth Koomen cleared to plant thousands of trees, from manuka on the steeper slopes to copper beech, golden elms, eucalyptus, Douglas fir, redwoods, bottlebrushes and wildflowers.

They’ve lined the stream with toetoe and flax, and are off-the-grid year-round with the bonus of surplus solar power in summer.

The elevated 320-square metre house they built in 2010 is modelled on a 1775 New England home and was designed as much for entertaining en masse as luxurious family living.

It has a weatherboard exterior and Colorsteel roof with a wraparound kwila veranda and deck overlooking pasture, plantings and pine trees.

The secluded property has been the venue for weddings and milestone birthdays, has its own rifle range and, as well as being a paradise for hunters and equestrians, is an ecosanctuary for light grazing.

Such have been the ecological and biological benefits of Guy and Liesbeth’s land management that their home is known as “the Makara Arboretum”.

“The sad thing is it’s all nascent,” Liesbeth says. “We’re never going to see it in its full glory.”

They’re reluctantly selling to move to the Netherlands, where Liesbeth has a new job.

The entrance porch of their stunning two-storey home leads to a foyer with a doubleheight 6m stud, Italian tiles and oversized Canadian maple double-doors that open into an extraordinarily spacious living/dining oasis.

It has hardwearing Canadian maple floorboards, multiple sets of French doors to the veranda/deck and two woodburners (one on wetback).

“They heat the whole house — and there’s no shortage of firewood,” Guy says.

The exceptionally large kitchen is practical for butchering game and a boon for entertaining, with its mahogany countertop, wraparound stainless bench and splashback, and dualoven range with a five-burner cooktop.

Also on this level are a separate laundry, guest toilet and magnificent work-fromhome office with bespoke shelving to accommodate an antique walnut over-mantle mirror.

A driftwood chandelier hangs over South Island red beech stairs with a rimu handrail that ascend to the five double-bedrooms — two with remodelled ensuites— and full bathroom.

Storage is another feature, with both huge attic space and four-car garaging.

“This is a magnificent rural property, literally minutes from Karori amenities and the beach, so you really do have the best of both worlds,” William Calder, of Ray White, says.

“We are witnessing a strong appetite from families wanting to live somewhere like this, so we expect it to be a popular property.”