- Cookbook writer Alexandra Tylee has sold her historic Poukawa farmhouse after four offers.
- The homestead once anchored a 20,000-acre sheep station and now sits on 2.44ha.
- Tylee and Chris Morris are relocating to Wellington after selling Pipi’s Pizza and changing careers.
The cookbook writer behind the much-loved Pipi’s Pizza restaurant in Hawke’s Bay has sold her historic farmhouse.
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Alexandra Tylee and her husband, Chris Morris, put their family home in Poukawa, about 20km south of Hastings, on the market in March. They had already sold Pipi’s three years earlier and were embarking on new careers.
Morris graduated as a firefighter at the end of last year and when he landed a job in Wellington, they knew they had to relocate.
Tylee, now a full-time artist, told OneRoof she was pleased the Te Mahanga Road property had sold after just a few months.
The couple’s beloved homestead on 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 property attracted four offers and was eventually bought by a young family who had been living in Sydney. Photo / Supplied
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home, which had an asking price of $1.4 million, attracted at least three offers before selling to a young Kiwi family who had recently returned home after living in Sydney.
Tylee said the property’s rich history resonated with prospective buyers, all of whom were looking for a character home. “There were three or four people who really wanted it.”
Poukawa Homestead was once the centre of a 20,000-acre sheep station, but much of the land was sold off over the years, leaving a manageable 2.44ha block.
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Tylee has a few more months to enjoy the house before the new owners take possession in January. “It’s just so good because it means we don’t have to rent.”
Tylee told OneRoof in March that when she first moved into the homestead, 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.
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
She wrote all three of her cookbooks at the homestead, using her kitchen to refine the recipes.
The sale of the home ends a more than two-decade adventure.
Tylee and Morris moved from Greytown to Havelock North and set up Pipi’s Pizza 21 years ago. They were living across the road from the restaurant when they spotted the homestead for sale and decided to move to the country.
Tylee still enjoys cooking, but now spends most of her days painting in her studio. Speaking in March, 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.”
- Click here to find more properties for sale in Hawke’s Bay
