NZ House & Garden Tours 2012 - Sneak Peek!

Around 50 beautiful homes and gardens around the country will open their doors to thousands of visitors in March for the NZ House & Garden House tours 2012, raising over $200,000 for the Cancer Society of new Zealand and Look Good Feel Better.

The tours showcase a creative and diverse kiwi style in homes the length and breadth of the country – from rural Canterbury to inner-city Auckland, from coastal Kapiti to lakeside Queenstown.

Take an exclusive sneak peak at just what’s in store…

Canterbury

This year’s Canterbury house tour has gone country. Start your day just north of Christchurch at Clearwater, to see the slick new retirement pad that belongs to a couple of Rakaia dairy farmers, sitting pretty near the 14th fairway of Clearwater resort & golf course with spectacular vistas to the southern alps.

Take in a selection of large and well-appointed homes in ohoka, then head out to Darfield and Hororata to visit a pretty, renovated farmhouse and garden. The house tours organisers are delighted to be returning to Canterbury this year. Following the devastating February quake, the 2011 Christchurch house tour was cancelled and proceeds from the Auckland, Wairarapa and Tauranga tours were divided to support the Canterbury divisions of the cancer society of New Zealand and look good feel better.

Canterbury, Friday March 2

Auckland

Each home in the Auckland house tour tells a very different story of city living and style. A charming 145-year-old working man’s cottage in Parnell, a modern black and white home with a glass lift and a turn-of-the-century masonry villa in Mt Eden are three of the homes to look out for. Each has undergone a huge transformation to create truly remarkable living spaces.

In Newmarket visit a small “urban village” a cleverly designed modern duplex and garden shared by two architects and their families. In Epsom, there’s an arty bungalow and round the eastern bays, there’s a contemporary house with lush and lovely gardens that is home to Graham Cleary, of natural Habitats garden design company, and his family.

Auckland, Friday March 9

Kapiti Coast

Clever, curious and quirky are the words that best describe the Kapiti Coast’s first character- filled NZ House & Garden House tour. Explore the iconic dome house of 85-year-old architect Fritz Eisenhofer on Peka Peka Beach and his latest creation, a curvaceous white eco dwelling atop the sand dunes. At Waikanae, discover landscape architect Frank Boffa’s subtropical garden paradise: it’s part Claude Monet, part primeval west Coast.

At Manakau visit a light-filled lodge- inspired home with enviable outdoor living spaces and spectacular views to Kapiti Island. Stop for a delicious brown-bag lunch in ruth Pretty’s kitchen garden at Te Horo. Picnic bags need to be pre-ordered and collected from the Kitchen Shop. Bags are $25 per person and you can order at www.ruthpretty.co.nz

Kapiti Coast, Friday March 16

Queenstown Lakes

Set against a dramatic lake and alpine landscape, the first-ever NZ House & Garden Queenstown lakes house tour unveils a treasure trove of stylish homes to be explored. In historic Arrowtown, visit a lovingly restored 1870s cottage and former convent.

Take a leap into the modern with an edgy industrial brick, steel and glass house with breathtaking views from each room, designed and created (right down to some of the furniture and art) by its owner. Or take in the views of the green from the home-away-from-home of Millbrook’s Japanese owners – Eiichi Ishii was inspired by former president Eisenhower’s home at the Augusta golf course. For garden lovers, the magnificent park Janet Blair has created at Wakatipu will be part of the tour, offering a lovely spot for a picnic lunch.

Queenstown lakes, Saturday March 24

Where to buy?

Tickets: $58
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.co.nz, 0800 111 999
Transport: Self-drive
More information: www.nzhouseandgarden.co.nz
 

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