Pongakawa Residence

This rural farmhouse is situated on an elevated promontory overlooking the surrounding rural landscape with distant coastal views toward Motiti Island and Mount Maunganui. The site included a recorded archaeological pit site, of significance to Ngati Makino. 

Weathered cedar cladding and extensive planting soften the prominence of the house in the landscape and meet the owners’ desire for an unobtrusive house.  Planting directly around the home is predominantly native, while a kiwifruit canopy is establishing as the base of the knoll. 

Date
2014

Location
Pongakawa, Bay of Plenty

"Carefully sited on a knoll in rolling Te Puke farmland, this courtyard farmhouse takes advantage of compelling views in all directions. Nearing retirement age, the home’s owners requested a modest and practical farmhouse, comfortable for the two of them day-to-day, but also able to accommodate visiting family. The architectural response exploits the opportunities of the courtyard, with visitor’s bedrooms occupying one wing and the main accommodation self-contained in another. Although sited on high ground, this house is discrete. However the unassuming appearance is misleading, for a closer inspection reveals a sophisticated and crafted composition."

- NZIA Waikato / Bay of Plenty Jury

On arrival at the property one is drawn through the orchard and reaches the sheltered eastern side of the house.  Visitors are immediately engaged with the courtyard as they are drawn along the edge toward the front entry. Internally rooms are arranged around the central courtyard with living rooms located toward the north.

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