The answer to ‘what do you get when a Scottish-bred man and his Irish-born wife feel they’re living somewhere Coronation Street-like?’ turned out to be an idyllic Warkworth farm integrating native bush and a river.
Puriri Downs is a 39.2 hectare farm located five minutes from Warkworth offered as a lifestyle option or with the Puriri Downs Free Range Eggs business Pierre and Kay Benson have established.
Pierre says: “Before this we were living in Gulf Harbour which I felt was a bit like living in Coronation Street whereas people come here and say it’s a bit of an oasis.”
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The desire to live rurally gripped Scottish-born construction project manager Pierre and Irish-born Kay about 12 years ago, after around a decade in New Zealand. Puriri Downs’ timber house was also home to their three sons until the last left home a few years ago.
Pierre says: “The farm is 50-50 pasture and native bush with a river between the two with freshwater crayfish and a big swimming hole.
“I like hunting so the fact it’s got wild pigs, goats and deer appealed too.”
“It’s called Puriri Downs because it’s got lots of mature Puriri trees bringing pretty amazing birdlife.”
Kay started their free-range egg business around four years ago with around 1500 brown shaver hens currently grazing and laying onsite. Buyers may be more drawn to the house and land or keen to purchase along with the business as a going concern (plus GST if any) including the chickens and their six portable night dwellings.
They’re five minutes’ drive to Puhoi or Warkworth, 10 minutes to Orewa and 40 minutes north of Auckland’s CBD off-peak. Kay sells eggs at the Matakana Farmers’ Market and supplies many cafes and restaurants including the Puhoi Cheese Factory, Matakana Market Kitchen, Brick Bay Winery and Omaha’s The Farmer’s Daughter and Sculptureum.
Karen Clark of Sothebys International Takapuna is selling 60A Cowan Bay Road, Warkworth in Rodney by negotiation.
She says: “Cowan Bay Road currently runs off State Highway One but the new Puhoi-to-Warkworth motorway due for completion in approximately two years will make that into a back highway and this lifestyle even more idyllic.”
There’s the option of a subdividable section about 500-metres down the property’s tree-lined driveway. The home constructed of old man pine reminds Pierre of a lodge with pitched ceilings accented by chunky beams in living areas.
He says: “It’s got large decks all the way around with a spa pool on the deck and a sauna and moveable stainless steel outdoor fireplace on the patio area alongside.”
They entertain here frequently.
Kay says of the high-stud open-plan living-dining-kitchen opening to decks: “It’s lovely because you look out onto all the hills and the bush.”
This wood-floored open-plan area neighbours a carpeted second lounge with powerful wood-burner. Off this, a powder room and bathroom accompany the master bedroom with walk-in wardrobe.
Another door off this second lounge accesses a tiled hallway to the second wing with an office, powder room, bathroom and two more double bedrooms.
Outbuildings include a one-bedroom one-bathroom sleep-out with lounge-kitchenette alongside a barn-like garage and a packing room-cool store. A wood store adjoins a two-bay horse stable with tack room (with two working horses able to be included in the sale) and Pierre has spent a decade forming horse tracks around the property.
The chicken business dwellings include three moveable timber chicken sheds and three galvanised steel chicken caravans where the chickens have night perches and roosting boxes from where eggs roll out on a conveyor belt for easy collection. Grounds include fenced, raised vegetable beds.
The couple are selling to embark on a planned new phase.
