This manor-like 527sqm family home, modelled on one in the Cotswolds, is striking in its own right but what really sets this property apart is the inclusion of its own fully operational airfield, Springhill Airfield.
Keen flyer and retired British Airways captain Tim and his wife Carol happened upon 1232A State Highway One in Wellsford, Rodney, through their friendship with late Kiwi businessman and flying enthusiast Richard Izard, who owned the farmland this home was built on.
Tim says: “We owned identical types of aeroplane; he’d stay with us in the UK and we got to know this property when we stayed with him in New Zealand. I used to fly him around New Zealand and every time we landed back at Springhill he’d ask ‘have you picked the place where you’re going to build your house?’.”
Eventually the couple did, purchasing some land and building a gracious Hinuera stone manor which was completed in 2010; a modern version of the Cotswolds stone house they’d owned in the UK.
Start your property search
Part of its land abutted Springhill Airfield, which Richard Izard established in the early 1990s and subsequently sold. Tim enjoys flying recreationally, often accompanied by former cabin crew Carol, and around 2021 they extended their property to more than 25 hectares by buying the neighbouring Springhill Airfield.
Tim says: “We can just head down the farm road to our own airfield to go flying, which has an 870-metre long all-weather sealed runway, a grass runway, two hangars and a clubhouse.”
1232A State Highway One in Wellsford, Rodney, is on the market for sale by tender closing March 1.
The airfield, Springhill Air, is fully operational with an 870m runway. Photo / Supplied
The two-storey home is set down a private driveway on 25 hectares, and has six bedrooms, six bathrooms and garaging for four vehicles. Photo / Supplied
The airfield is fully consented for unlimited private use, along with commercial flights (up to five per day averaged over each calendar month), aircraft assembly, storage and maintenance activities.
The close proximity to Warkworth, Wellsford, the golden sands of popular east coast beaches and world famous golf courses has enabled the couple to either take their boat out for a fish on either coast, or go for a round of golf.
Their two-storey home is set down a private driveway, ensuring their privacy is well preserved. Its’ tree-lined driveway, planted with liquid amber and London plane trees, introduces the spacious north-facing home.
The couple love its restful rural views and the ease of having no immediate neighbours. Their three children and five grandchildren visit often, appreciating the large heated swimming pool and expansive land to explore.
Tim says: “The Hinuera stone combined with the masonry construction retains both the heat in winter and the cool in summer.”
The restful rural views from the home. Photo / Supplied
The 527sqm manor-like family home is modelled on one in the Cotswolds. Photo / Supplied
The ground floor has an elegant covered entrance into a substantial foyer and includes an internal-access quadruple garage. The home has an open-plan kitchen-family room , whilst the formal lounge and dining room seamlessly extend onto terraces, creating the perfect ambiance for alfresco dining and entertaining with their friends and family.
Upstairs there are five ensuited bedrooms and include the sizeable master bedroom, with its own private deck opening to the view beyond, and a one-bedroom studio apartment provides Tim and Carol with additional accommodation should extra guests and family come to stay.
There’s a resource consent in place to develop a five-lot subdivision from the property’s 25.27 hectares of land.
The couple plan to stay in the area but have decided it’s time to downsize given their ages.
Bayleys country property specialist John Barnett says: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a gracious manor home with a fully operational private airfield. This is certainly something very special, something you would be hard pressed to find or even replicate anywhere else in New Zealand.”
- Sponsored by Bayleys
