Private seclusion
Nestled within the sheltered privacy of a gorgeous garden setting, French Provence whispers its presence. From the design of the home itself – limestone chip paths, landscaped banks and garden corners, to the exotic allure of the swimming pool – this property transports you to another world.
Nestled within the sheltered privacy of a gorgeous garden setting, French Provence whispers its presence. From the design of the home itself – limestone chip paths, landscaped banks and garden corners, to the exotic allure of the swimming pool – this property transports you to another world.
words JO FERRIS
The privacy of this exquisite country home goes far beyond the gated security offered by Te Puna’s elite Tides Reach enclave. One of 29 high-value properties, this home hides from the road – blossoms on the cherry trees lining the long driveway having given way to summer’s leafy welcome.
Pavilion styling divides the home into two distinct wings – connected by a foyer that immediately introduces the garden expanse beyond, thanks to a full-wall picture window.
Living sits to the left; gabled ceilings showcasing sarked lining and exposed beams to enhance the space. The tone is genteel; classically refined like French champagne. Glazing stretches the length of the wing – from dining and family lounge, through to the lounge. It ensures both the view and outdoor links are captured in every area of this wing.
Sun-drenched decking includes a sheltered outdoor lounge – somewhere to gaze out to the pool and reflect on the beauty all around. Dedicated alfresco dining invites grand occasions outside, while the pool has its own invitation. A shallow ‘chaise longue’ segment for sun lovers; louvred roofing over the ‘pool house’, with its outdoor fire and lounge setting, plus a spa alcove for added luxury. The symmetry between the house, outdoor settings, pool and large garden expanse is captivating.
The accommodation wing, while seemingly a stand-alone pavilion is also linked intricately to the garden. The master suite sits at the far end – its romantic bathroom showcasing a clawfoot bath and French-door link with a screened garden – privacy assured in all aspects and brilliant walk-in shower.
Three more bedrooms share a family bathroom – a bath here as well and a separate powder room for added convenience. Other features include a study, a ‘play room’ for children, hobbies or gym; a dedicated laundry, triple garage with attic storage and an adjoining workshop. Every area in this corner is connected – walk-through access to and fro’, plus double-sided entry to the workshop for the ride-on mower and implements.
With tennis at the shared court at Tides Reach, nature trails to the harbour’s edge, this French-inspired ‘maison élégante’ makes an indelible impression here in Western Bay’s Tides Reach.
41 Te Karaka drive, Te Puna
Bella Italia
Impressive and imposing, this Italian-styled home brings a taste of the Mediterranean to Tauranga.
Impressive and imposing, this Italian-styled home brings a taste of the Mediterranean to Tauranga.
Words Jo Ferris
Sharing more in common with some of the finest estates on Waiheke Island or Auckland’s blue-chip suburbs of Herne Bay and Remuera, the fact this prestigious property even exists here in Tauranga is testament to its owners’ foresight and belief in the district’s future. This home will defy time
– and remain as rock solid as it stands today – long into the future.
This home’s design, construction and innate essence are born from the Italian aristocratic palazzos it pays homage to. Solid concrete – including internal walls – construction and quality finish throughout totally belies any initial perception some buyers could be forgiven for thinking, according to Oliver Road’s Cam Winter.
Viewing is essential – if only to confirm the extent of this home’s magnitude. On the surface, the epic design and unique finish extols the Italian penchant for grandeur. Beneath all this however, the home hides well-considered attention to the fundamentals of a warm, healthy environment.
It epitomises the Mediterranean appreciation of family and nourishment. Togetherness feeds the soul - and this home instils that village philosophy in every conceivable way. Layered – like family – it revolves around the main household. This is magnanimous, and caters for crowds as effortlessly as it does for intimate dinners for a few. From here, the house embraces inter-generational unity with two individual, self-contained suites. The largest provides a two-bedroom apartment on the upper level. The second is a New York style one-bedroom apartment cleverly built into the basement level. Separate living for elders or extended members with children – together, yet independent.
Being multi-faceted, this home’s capacity for accommodating staff is also brilliant – from groundspeople to nannies or private tutors. A property of stature that also lends to boutique accommodation or an intimate function venue. Entertaining inside or out, the focus revolves around nurture and nourishment. It’s easy to envision long, lazy lunches outside, or lingering dinner parties in the soaring luxury of the banquet hall inside.
Such status personifies the luxury of international grand homes and estates often featured on TV programmes and in exclusive magazines. And deservedly so. Seen firsthand, the quality here is clearly apparent – from the concrete construction to the interior finish that mixes genuine Italian materials with exquisite New Zealand and accents. It is an intricate fusion of ancient Mediterranean heritage with hi-tech innovation and engineering ingenuity. Safely guarded behind gated security, within nearly an acre, this haven ensures seclusion and solace, protection, and privacy. Manicured gardens and courtyard corners, topiary pathways and sloping lawns,
a heated pool for year-round leisure, a spa for added bliss – it is the quintessential lifestyle.
Cam Winter notes that its relative length of time-on-market can be almost entirely attributed to perception, both with respect to its construction (given Tauranga’s and New Zealand’s unfortunate “leaky home era”), which this property sits so far beyond – not only in age (built 2008) but also in the reality of its solid-concrete construction. Possibly also some concern about the future Takitimu North Link.
Now under construction and, with clear evidence of what will eventuate on Waka Kotahi, NZTA’s website, far away from producing any audible impact on this property, the highway will actually improve surrounding traffic and shorten distances to key arterial connections including shortening the distances both into Tauranga’s CBD and north towards Auckland. The scenic beauty of Wairoa Valley will remain, and its uninterrupted west-facing aspect will continue to produce magnificent afternoon sunshine which become romantic late-evening sunsets. With only 14 neighbours spaced in their own settings, life in this elite enclave can only improve.
5 Sunny Downs Drive, Tauriko
UNO Drives: the Bentley Bentayga
When Ettore Bugatti described the 1924 Le-Mans-winning Bentley 3-litre as ‘the world's fastest lorry’, he was trying to insult its winning durability. If only he knew what was in store nearly a century later. Driving the Bentayga down to Mount Maunganui from Auckland, there was nothing remotely lorry or truck-like about Bentley's foray into the SUV market.
Shaun Summerfield is a proper boy. He spent 17 years as a journalist, covering world cups and epic motor races across the world for Newshub. After a job of adrenaline-fuelled deadlines, Shaun is now the general manager of marketing and communications at the Giltrap Group. It's a role the suave petrolhead describes as, "Close to perfect: surrounded by some of the best cars on the planet and working for a family-owned company." He brings a brand new Bentley down to The Mount. It was a slower photoshoot than usual: the Bentayga certainly draws a crowd.
WORDS SHAUN SUMMERFIELD PHOTOS GRAEME MURRAY
When Ettore Bugatti described the 1924 Le-Mans-winning Bentley 3-litre as ‘the world's fastest lorry’, he was trying to insult its winning durability. If only he knew what was in store nearly a century later. Driving the Bentayga down to Mount Maunganui from Auckland, there was nothing remotely lorry or truck-like about Bentley's foray into the SUV market. Neither Signore Bugatti nor W.O. Bentley, I suspect, would ever have imagined the ‘Flying B’ adorning a diesel-powered SUV. Still, had they seen the numbers, they would have been impressed. My favourite is 48 – as in the 48-volt electrical system that provides the spark for two of the Bentayga diesel's most impressive features.
The first is ‘triple-charging’. Two mechanical, twin-scroll turbochargers are uniquely boosted by an electrically driven compressor, that third unit banishing turbo lag, meaning 900Nm of torque is delivered from 1000rpm. That means being able to virtually idle up the boat ramp at Sulphur Point, even hauling a Rayglass 2350 out of the water.
Fastest and most-refined
I never thought I'd be describing a Bentley as a great towing car. But the automotive world is changing fast, and Bentley are changing with it. Despite the sight of the never-seen-before-on-a-Bentley warning sticker on the filler cap, the Bentayga is as Bentley as any other automobile to come out of the Crewe factory.
It's the fastest and most refined diesel ever built, with a top speed of 270 kph. And most ‘Bentleyesque’ of all is the acceleration; despite weighing 2511 kg, the Bentayga dispatches 0 – 100 kph in 4.8 seconds.
That should take care of the diesel-perfumed elephant in the room, except to mention the other obvious upside: economy. This oil-burning Bentayga's official consumption figure is only 8 litres per 100 km.
More than a magic-carpet ride
One of the toughest challenges for this SUV is combining a magic-carpet ride with sporty handling. That's achieved with the second of those impressive Bentayga features – the Bentley Dynamic Ride (BDR) system.
Like the turbocharging, this system benefits from the 48-volt lithium-ion electrics. Even more than the engine boost, BDR is the Bentayga’s key to reproducing progress from the Bentley Continental GT in this SUV. Working together with the adjustable dampener system and air suspension, BDR controls the Bentayga’s roll bars, courtesy of electric motors that each produce 30% more grunt than the diesel engine (yes, really), helping the vehicle defy a few laws of physics and eliminate body roll.
All this technology operates in the background, almost silently, leaving passengers to enjoy the refined opulence that defines the brand. Bentley go to extraordinary lengths for their car interiors. There is simply nothing to fault inside this car. The most perfectly grained walnut comes from the root balls of old trees from California. The result is a wood grain you can’t stop looking at.
Incredible attention to detail
Only bulls from northern Europe are deemed worthy enough to supply the hides – 14 of them – needed to trim the Bentayga's interior, as they haven't been scarred by barbed wire. (It has to be bulls, not cows, so there are no stretch marks.) And the diamond-patterned seats take nearly a week of careful cross-stitching. You park your behind very gently indeed as you get in.
There is plenty of technology at hand, but it’s the trademark organ stops used to control the car's ventilation that sum up the Bentayga’s interior. They operate with a just-so level of resistance; all very old school, yet comfortably at home in Bentley's 'down-with-the-kids' SUV.
Like every Bentley, the Bentayga has a rather magnificent presence. But it's also a bona fide off-roader, and it's more capable than just about any other premium-luxury car. The suspension rises to offer 285 mm of ground clearance, with an official wading depth of 500 mm. Who'll be the first down that boat ramp at Sulphur Point to test it out? That pleasure will be yours, Team UNO.
auckland.bentleymotors.com