Peter Allen and Paul Smith accelerated their three-year plan to relocate to Hawke’s Bay when they locked eyes on a 118-year-old historic villa on the edge of Hastings.
Within three months, they had quit Auckland and settled into their new home, Hawthorne House.
Now five years later, they are on the move again, but this time, instead of shifting 420km, they are travelling just 10 minutes down the road to a smaller property in Havelock North.
The couple have run Hawthorne House as a bed and breakfast since 2019.
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Allen told OneRoof they had been looking for a property with business potential when they spotted 1420 Railway Road South for sale.
The rural location was perfect, and even though they had only just started looking they pounced. “We wanted to move to the Bay,” Allen said. “We always joked we would move to the country but only if it was no more than 10 minutes away from a good coffee.”
Peter Allen and Paul Smith in their Hawke's Bay retreat. They have enjoyed running the bed and breakfast and bringing the villa up to scratch. Photo / Supplied
The Edwardian villa started life as a doctor’s surgery and was originally situated on a corner site near Hastings racecourse. In the late 1960s, it was moved to its current location, with new owners in the mid-1990s converting it into a bed and breakfast.
When Allen and Smith took possession, they spent about two-and-a-months redecorating the property before carrying out a larger renovation in 2022 which included adding a new kitchen and bathroom.
“We redecorated inside and out, replanted the gardens, installed a new kitchen, and added a guest bathroom.”
They wanted the renovation to be sympathetic to the property’s heritage and couldn’t believe their luck when they discovered the original wooden paneling and stained-glass windows.
“People love a bit of nostalgia, so we retained all that character,” Allen said. “We are more mid-century meets villa than art deco meets villa.”
The villa was split into three pieces and moved to the former freezing work site on Railway Road South. Photo / Supplied
The couple’s "eccentric" colour choice included painting the sitting room dark blue-black. Photo / Supplied
Each guest room has been named after the colour scheme inside: Māwhero, Kikorangi, Pango, and Kākāriki. Allen admitted that some guests had described some of their colour choices, such as the dark blue-black paint in the sitting room, as “a bit eccentric”.
The couple have also infused the villa with their extensive and diverse collection of art, ceramics, glass and garden sculptures, which they said had become part of the attraction for guests.
The overhaul of the garden speaks to the site’s former life as a freezing works zone. The old pumphouse for the original factory sits at the rear of the property while traces of the railway siding and some of the factory foundations are still visible.
Hawthorn House has five ensuite bedrooms in the main house, four of which are guest rooms. In 2006, a three-bedroom, two-bathroom property called The Mews was added to the home and had been used as the manager’s accommodation.
Allen during the renovation work. The couple stripped everything back. Photo / Supplied
The couple carried out a full renovation on the home including installing a new gourmet kitchen with a marble benchtop. Photo / Supplied
The Māwhero (pink) guest room was originally the doctor’s surgery complete with stained-glass windows with wooden frames. Photo / Supplied
“When we moved from Auckland we chose to live in the main house knowing that if we didn’t like it we could always move into the mews, but five years later we are still in the main house and we love it,” Allen said, adding that the mews was rented out and provided an additional income stream.
In recent years, most of the guests have been overseas travellers aged 55-plus. “They love being hosted, they generally love the area, they love our hospitality and they love the house,” Smith said.
The couple are selling up to move to a smaller house in Havelock North.
Allen said: “The last three owners did three years each, and we’ve done five. We love hosting, but we have bought another house in Havelock North and it’s time to move on.”
The couple have no regrets about fast-tracking their plans to move to the region, which they now “adore”.
“We love the community here. It’s absolutely stunning,” Smith said.
- 1420 Railway Road South, in Hastings, is for sale by way of tender, closing November 21
