The Magical world of Coldstream
The driveway at Coldstream winds into a dense, world of verdant greens. Huge macrocarpas stretch upwards and at eye level Chinese windmill fans lend an exotic air to this Rangiora setting.
Words: Pattie Pegler Photography: Dorothy McLennan
The driveway at Coldstream winds into a dense, world of verdant greens. Huge macrocarpas stretch upwards and at eye level Chinese windmill fans lend an exotic air in the late summer heat, sitting side by side with the delicate purples of hydrangeas. Then this tunnel like greenery opens up to bright sunlight and a double-storey homestead comes into view.
Alerted by the crunch of gravel, a dusky grey poodle runs out in greeting and behind him owners Rupert and Fionna Ward emerge from the open front door.
The couple have lived here together for close to a decade, raising their lively blended family of five daughters and giving this old house a new lease of life. Coldstream was one of the earliest homesteads in North Canterbury dating back to 1850 when it was home to the MacFarlane family. At the back of the house a large tree was planted to mark Queen Victoria’s Diamond jubilee in 1897. And when the chimneys were demolished post-quake they revealed an old black and white photo of Agnes MacFarlane from the early 1900s. Along with an invitation to an event at Ballantynes in 1906.
“We’ve always loved history and old homes, the look of them and the fact that there have been other stories and lives lived here…the character” says Fionna.
The outside of the house is white and muted cream from the weatherboard to the intricate fretwork and accented quoins - it looks elegant and timeless. But inside this neutral palette gives way to exuberant colour. In the hallway original kauri wooden flooring rises up to cream panels and upper walls of duck egg blue. The TV lounge and the living and dining room on opposite sides of the hall are both decorated with bright Shand Kydd wallpapers in orange and blues, ceiling roses are painted and a riot of eclectic colourful artworks hang on the walls.
Much of this interior décor was updated after the house suffered earthquake damage but trying to decorate a house of this heritage isn’t easy. So the couple looked for inspiration, and on a visit to Hawkes Bay heritage home, Oruawharo, they got chatting to the owner who showed them a guide to Victorian homes. “It was so helpful because we were trying to decide what to do…we both like colours and patterns and we realised that the Victorians did have those in their homes” says Fionna. They also used the Downton Abbey website. When it came to finding items, such as the wallpaper, they checked out many of the local interiors shops.
“If you can get it in Harrods you can get it in Rangiora” grins Rupert.
But much of Rupert’s time is spent outdoors. It’s easy to see why – four acres of rambling gardens surround the house and from the grass tennis court small hidden paths wind off into all manner of secret spots and the whole area is sheltered by the outer ring of towering trees and dense shrubbery.
Rupert, a barrister, bursts with enthusiasm as he talks plants and gardens – the inspiration he’s drawn from other gardens, his love of colour, his desire to recreate the misty, magical feel of an English Victorian garden. He dives into undergrowth pulling out the odd weed, turning on hoses and tidying as we go. We wander up hidden paths, dotted with pungas; into the shady depths of the zen garden and through the brickwork of the sunken Maori parterre. There’s a magnificent three-tiered hedge; a croquet lawn; a hidden frog pond and an orchard bursting with the bounty of summer - great globes of peaches and rich red plums. And the “show stopper” is a a three-tiered bright blue fountain with red and gold detailing around the rim of each layer and three painted herons at the base of the stem. It’s boldly unrepentant amongst the green and delicate colouring of the garden.
With so many outdoor areas and plants from rhododendrons to roses, camelias to polyanthus this is a garden for all seasons. Or, as Rupert says, “Every area has its moments”.
This isn’t the work of a weekly gardener. Rupert painted the water fountain and did the brickwork encircling it. He also built the wall around the orchard (out of bricks from the quake broken chimneys), put in all the irrigation, created the sunken Maori parterre and did just about every piece of brick edging we see on our tour. Recently he has been ‘studying phloxes’ and is planning on mass planting phloxes and fucshias. Anyone even passingly familiar with gardens will know how much work all this entails, so does he get up at 5am to fit it all in? He shakes his head. “No, in fact everyone always says to us ‘oh we’re so busy’ and we wonder what they’re doing, we’re not busy, we’re always just here….”.
These are clearly the words of someone who loves gardening but they also fit in with the overall lack of pretension here. Coldstream might be a listed Heritage House with a garden that sees plenty of open days, but it’s also got a laid back feel. Rupert and Fionna sip their morning coffee on the front porch, the poodle lies across the couches and a small piece of jello cake is forever stuck to the lounge ceiling – a reminder of kids’ birthday parties past. It’s the latest chapter in the history of Coldstream.