City Cabin

About Shirley

I am an artist who also loves gardening and cooking. These three things all go together well because I love to be able to cook and eat fresh vegetables and fruit from the garden, to be creative with food and I love to be surrounded by beauty. I make my living in the not-for-profit mental health sector

Why Shirley chose Brooklands

Our house used to be a bach in a row of baches down at the popular local Ngamotu beach near the port. All located on land leased from the local Coolstore, the leases expired, were not renewed and all the baches had to be removed. Although many were just demolished, ours - owned by a friend- was in good shape. We bought it and moved it to its current location near our wonderful Pukekura park. Moving it was pretty exciting - it had to be jacked up high on the back of the moving truck to get in over the front houses and down the driveway into the section. It had to stay up in the air all night - a bit scary but fortunately the weather was kind and calm After initially renting it out we decided to downsize from our much larger home and move into this much smaller one. We renovated it substantially - fortunately Dave my husband has building experience. We found old newspapers from the 1930s in the walls when we removed the wall linings to insulate and gib them and also some of the bach's original weatherboards in one of the rooms that had been added to it. Eventually we decided that the caravan in the back yard, where we accommodated visiting family and friends, was a bit too basic and a return to a two bathroom and toilet existence would be very welcome. So the cabin was constructed for more civilised guest accommodation and also to include a conservatory space so we could enjoy sunshine without the Taranaki wind. It also included an office space as both of us were self employed and sharing a small office in the house.

What makes this Cottage unique

This is a very quiet area and very private and peaceful. We are only one street away from a fabulous park. In addition to a beautiful bush walks, gardens, lakes, a small zoo, glass houses, a cafe, fountain and a great playgound for kids, it also has a terrific concert venue -- the Bowl of Brooklands. The international WOMAD festival ( www.womad.co.nz ) is held here annually and many other great international and national acts perform here in summer.