An aviation-mad couple who built a high-end home with two hangars overlooking an aerodrome have put the property on the market for sale.
Pip Hally and husband Paul told OneRoof they loved flying so much that when it came time for them to build their dream home, they made sure there was space for their planes.
The couple, who have pilot licences and previously worked in air traffic control, were living in Picton when the large 6824sqm freehold section bordering the Omaka Airfield, in Blenheim, with access to the taxiway came up for sale in 2017.
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“When this property came up, we realised it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it was so special. When we bought it, you couldn’t live on it and you couldn’t have the multiple buildings, so we’ve built everything on it,” Hally said. They also applied for multiple resource consents to allow them to do this.
“We just love architecture and property and aviation so if you can combine them all then it’s just winning, isn’t it.”
The large 400sqm was the first building to appear on the site in 2018, followed by a commercial office which they previously ran a scenic flight business from. Finally came their high-spec one-bedroom home with a smaller hangar and home office that was completed in 2022.
The property has a large hangar, commercial office space and a high-end home with another home office and smaller hangar attached. Photo / Supplied
The kitchen has world-class Gaggenau appliances and European tapware. Photo / Supplied
Hally, who gained herself the nickname Pippa the Flippa after spending about a decade renovating and flipping dated homes in Queenstown, Canterbury and Marlborough, designed the home herself in conjunction with Coresteel Marlborough. She also handpicked high-end European fittings and fixtures for her home.
The kitchen was decked out with Gaggenau appliances, expansive floor-to-ceiling double glazed windows and doors, home automation including controls for the electric windows and TV and an oversized master bedroom and dressing room.
“When you turn on your shower automatically the demist comes on the mirrors – that’s just a nice functional way to live,” she added.
While the airfield, Marlborough Aero Club and the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre can be busy at weekends, night times are quiet because the planes cannot land on the unlit airfield in the dark.
“At night it feels very rural because there’s a big paddock beside the property and it’s a huge triangle of many hectares and that’s a reserve for aviation.”
The entire front of the house not only had views of the airfield, but also looked out to the Kaikoura Ranges.
“That’s partly what we like about it – that you are so close to town, but it feels like rural living,” Hally said.
The tenanted hangar currently provides an additional income stream. Photo / Supplied
“You might get a bit of hustle and bustle at the weekend but it’s fabulous. It’s such a great town and such a great aerodrome and a very, very special aerodrome because it is owned by Marlborough Aeroclub which is actually one of the oldest aeroclubs in New Zealand.”
While the property would have an obvious appeal to aviators, she said the luxurious side of the home gave it a much broader appeal.
“Funnily a lot of the people who do have interest in the home are not necessarily pilots because they love the home because it’s very high spec, there’s nothing else like it in New Zealand.”
Hally said the way the property was designed meant there were plenty of options for people who could either live in the home and use the hangars for toys or live in the home and rent out the commercial space and hangars.
The house also had fencing for their dogs, separating the home from the office space and creating privacy between the two buildings, she said.
The couple had no plans to cut ties with the aviation sector or Marlborough but were instead selling to downsize.
“We are going to be sad to leave, but I’m terribly excited for whoever does move in. It’s just so special.”
Bayleys salesperson Will Porter said he had “never seen anything like it in his entire time in real estate”.
“It’s one of the most bespoke and luxury listings that I’ve seen in Marlborough – the spec on it is just unbelievable.”
Porter said the property offered plenty of options for people including additional income streams. The “safe” colour scheme also meant it would be very easy for the new owner to personalise.
“It would be very easy to make it your own.”
- 56 Rosina Corlett Lane, in Omaka, is being sold by private treaty, deadline May 16
