Giardino E Arte

Tucked away at the end of a quiet cobbled lane in Te Puke, Farleigh has been one family’s sanctuary since 1994. An Arts and Crafts home designed by Terry Hitchcock and wrapped in a garden like no other, it is the product of a life’s work, known and admired by many.

The street is small and settled, just eight homes built purposefully, one at a time, with very few changes of ownership. There is a great deal to say about how number 8 was built, and for those interested in the detail, the full file sits alongside this. The short version is that it was designed in 1981 by Terry Hitchcock of Cook Hitchcock & Sargisson, one of Auckland’s leading residential practices, and built the following year of things that last: concrete block, cedar shingles, timber joinery, leadlight glass, kauri ceilings and a roof of Marseille terracotta tiles. Meticulously maintained and continuously improved in its earlier years, the house was opened up from 2015, when the kitchen, dining and living rooms were joined, and a sunroom under a full glass roof was added, designed and built with the same talent and care.