- Alexandra Tylee is selling her historic Poukawa Homestead to join husband Chris Morris in Wellington.
- The couple bought the homestead 14 years ago, where Tylee wrote her cookbooks.
- Tylee, now a full-time painter, plans to continue her work and possibly explore cooking in Wellington.
The cookbook writer behind the much-loved Pipi’s Pizza restaurant in Hawke’s Bay is selling her historic farmhouse to start a new chapter in her life.
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Alexandra Tylee and husband Chris Morris said goodbye to Pipi two and a half years ago, bringing to an end a near-20-year food adventure in Havelock North.
Tylee is now a full-time painter, while Morris has recently landed a job as a firefighter in Wellington.
Tylee told OneRoof that she would soon be joining him in the capital. “I can’t really stay in Hawke’s Bay on my own. It would be a bit sad.”
The couple bought Poukawa Homestead 14 years ago for $779,000. It was a big step from living above their restaurant.
As part of the move, Tylee and Morris are selling their homestead at 425 Te Mahanga Road, in Poukawa, Hastings. Photo / Supplied
The kitchen is the heart of the homestead and is where Tylee created the recipes for her cookbooks. Photo / Supplied
The three-bedroom homestead is stylishly presented. Photo / Supplied
The couple loved character homes, so when they saw 425 Te Mahanga Road for sale, they knew it would be the perfect country home for both them and their two young sons.
“It’s just got a lot of history.”
Poukawa Homestead was once the centre of a 20,000-acre sheep station, but over the years, land was sold off, and the house now sits on a manageable 2.44ha block.
Tylee said the property had once been a big part of the rural community, noting that all the locals would flock there to use the large inground swimming pool, which predated the 1931 earthquake, and enjoy the big old-fashioned garden.
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“It’s just really lovely. It just settles into the land. It’s really well positioned.”
Tylee told OneRoof that when she first moved in, she had planned to change the kitchen, but she soon realised she didn’t need to.
She instead made it her own by upgrading the oven and installing a granite benchtop. A wall between the kitchen and living area was also knocked down to create more space.
All three of her cookbooks were written at the homestead, with Tylee using her kitchen to refine the recipes.
Tylee is making a name for herself as a painter. Photo / Warren Buckland
The in-ground swimming pool predates the Hawke’s Bay earthquake of 1931. Photo / Supplied
Tylee and her family will be sad to say goodbye to the homestead. Photo / Supplied
Tylee still enjoys cooking, but spends most of her days painting in her studio in one of the lifestyle block's many outbuildings, and she tells OneRoof she is busy working toward her next exhibition in May.
She said it would be sad to say goodbye to the home. “But that’s just life, isn’t it? And someone else will enjoy it, and I’m sure we will find somewhere in Wellington.”
She added: “I still love cooking, and we are moving to Wellington, so I might do something there.”
- 425 Te Mahanga Road, in Poukawa, Hastings, is for sale, tender closing March 26
