Puketoi – a place on the hill – on the botanical arc of Te Matuku Bay on Waiheke Island is looking for its next custodians.
Built a decade ago, the home takes in the surrounding bush environment, works naturally with the slope – gently cascading through five levels – and welcomes the sun.
It’s both cosy and expansive, connected to the outside world with all the modern comforts and every day feels like forest bathing. Its creation is “a love affair” of the late Hamish Bain, movie buff and fashion agent, and his partner Craig Olsen, nurseryman, conservationist and trained chef. It was a dream for Hamish to build his own home, and for Craig to restore the bush and give back to the land.
“We found this incredible piece of land which had been covered by DOC covenants, which is part of the beauty of it,” says Craig.
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“While I was restoring the bush, he was building this Group Architects-inspired house. The gift for Hamish was being able to build from scratch and to have so much of his DNA in the house. Finding the right architect and builder was where part of the harmony comes from – the genesis of it fell into place.
“Everything fits so well with the land and the mood, it feels very New Zealand and authentically of the bay.”
Architect Graham Pitts worked for a time under Ivan Juriss, of Group Architects. It fits the manifesto of Group Architects’ vision to “own sense of what is beautiful and appropriate to [New Zealand’s] climate and conditions”.
Built from concrete mixed with limestone and clad in cedar, with natural macrocarpa ceilings, the acoustics as well as its interior are warm. The house is north-facing, and the concrete creates passive solar warmth in winter and the floor has underfloor heating.
Form follows function with Pitts’ design – everything is there for a reason. There’s also a sense of discovery. The sections of the home are staggered, creating a sense of privacy, yet feel connected. Lloyd Wright-inspired sliding doors throughout the home – which includes master bedroom and ensuite, guest quarters, kitchen, office, living area and library – “are like Russian dolls where you’ve got a room within a room”.
The 368sqm home includes master bedroom and ensuite, guest quarters, kitchen, office, living area and library with a double garage. Photo / Supplied
The house is north-facing, and the concrete creates passive solar warmth in winter. Photo / Supplied
There’s a sense of space and proportion. Here the surroundings are the view, as well as a vista across Te Matuku Bay and a show of beautiful sunsets through the seasons.
A special feature of the home is a seven-seater cinema, “the Odeon”, Hamish’s ode to the old King’s Theatre (circa 1955) in Gisborne, where he grew up. He worked for Kerridges theatre company for many years before becoming a fashion buyer and later rebuilt and developed the State Cinema in Nelson where he and Craig also had a flower farm growing peonies.
Puketoi’s cinema is located on the lower level, the projector in the adjacent wine cellar. The cinema features a neon sign, lit-up proscenium arch, adjustable multi-colour lighting display, footlights, bespoke waterfall curtain and star ceiling. Watching movies nightly was a ritual for the couple who also hosted movie nights for friends.
“His yearning for his romance of the cinema endured,” says Craig.
Puketoi comprises two sections – 8 and 24 Te Matuku Point. The two properties flow together yet are not visibly accessible to each other, and adjacent to Te Matuku Bay Scenic Reserve protected by the Department of Conservation where kiwi have recently been translocated.
The Odeon is an ode to the old King’s Theatre in Gisborne, where one of the homeowners grew up. Photo / Supplied
8 and 24 Te Matuku Point Lane, in Orapiu, is 8.2ha in size and sits on the arc of Te Matuku Bay on Waiheke Island. Photo / Supplied
There is also nearby access to the tidal estuary.
One of Craig’s passions is planting. The orchard is filled with citrus, figs, plums, bananas, feijoa, pomegranate, guava, quince, pawpaw, olives and heirloom grapes – from which he’s made many home preserves. There’s also a protea patch for cut flowers and a potager kitchen garden in the courtyard.
What he’s loved most about living here is that it’s peaceful, private and surrounded by nature.
“It’s a hidden secret and a part of Waiheke that people don’t know exists.”
- 8 and 24 Te Matuku Point Lane in Orapiu, Waiheke Island, is for sale, auction on February 20
