Bellbird Brae
You come up off Terako Terrace, round the last bend of the drive, and the bush opens out. There's the house, on its own platform at the top of the section, with Mount Lyford rising behind it and the Mason Hills laid out across the valley. Turn the engine off and the first thing you notice is the quiet. The second is the bellbirds, the birds the house is named after, calling from the bush all around.
Mornings
The living room faces east, so the day arrives as a line of light over the ranges. Put the kettle on and stand at the kitchen window: it's wide and low over the sink, and it frames the Mason Hills like a painting, changing with every hour and every season. On some mornings the valley below fills with cloud and the house sits above it in the sun. That's the photo on the front page, taken at 7:38 am on 29 October 2026.
Winter
This is an alpine village at about 600 m, and in winter the snow comes right down to the door. The bush goes quiet and white, and the hills turn into something out of a postcard. The wood burner sits in the corner beside the full-height slider, so you can light it and watch the snow fall on the bush. Two Daikin heat pumps look after the bedrooms. The insulation was designed to the H1 5th edition standard for climate zone 5: R4.4 in the external walls, Terra Lana wool in the internal walls, and a ceiling upgraded to R7 during the build. The windows are double glazed with low-E, argon-filled glass. The roof is designed for a snow loading of N3, and snow straps were added after the first big fall.
Timber, inside and out
Every wall and ceiling inside is New Zealand pine tongue and groove, finished in Foreverbreathe Interior Oil & Wax, a Danish oil, instead of paint. The boards are fixed with hidden clips, so there isn't a nail head anywhere, and the house smells of timber. Outside, the cladding is thermally modified timber shiplap on a ventilated cavity over a rigid air barrier, under a steel roof. A building inspection in August 2024 called it "structurally sound and fit for purpose".
The rooms
Downstairs is one long room: kitchen at one end, living at the other, and the slider out to the gravel terrace and the view. A passage leads to the bathroom, with the washer and dryer stacked at its end, and a separate WC. Upstairs, three bedrooms sit under the roof with the ceilings rising to about 3 m at the apex. Bedroom 1 has windows on two walls. Bedroom 2 has a deep timber sill to sit on and look out. Bedroom 3 has a barn door and is set up as a study. It's 93 m² in all, and it uses every one of them. See every room.
The land
The section is 4,000 m², mostly native bush, alive with birdsong, with the house on an engineered platform at the top and a clearing below it. The drive sweeps up past the clearing to a turning area at the house. Native plants have gone in around the house and down the bank. The geotechnical assessment found the site's risk of slippage, erosion and settlement low, and noted the area performed well in the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake.
The village
Mt Lyford Village has around 100 lots spread through the bush, most of them about the size of this one, so there's room around everyone. The village company looks after the roads and the water for a levy of $570 a year. Water comes from the village supply and isn't metered. There's a lodge in the village and walking tracks through the bush.
The area
The Mt Lyford Alpine Resort is 9 km up the mountain road, close enough for first chair and home for lunch. Hanmer Springs is 73 km away, and Kaikōura and the coast about 63 km. Christchurch is about 145 km, around 1 hour 45 minutes, so you can leave after work on a Friday and be lighting the fire before dark in summer. Shops, fuel and the school are in Waiau and Culverden.
The life
It suits a family who want to ski all winter and walk all summer, a couple who want somewhere quiet to slow down, or someone who works from anywhere and would rather look at the hills. Internet is 4G, and the modem, backup power supply and wifi extenders stay with the house.
Ready to go
The house was finished in 2024 and Hurunui District Council issued the Code Compliance Certificate on 30 September 2024. The wastewater system is under ECan discharge permit CRC234862 and is serviced every six months. The whiteware, television, blinds, a bed and bedding, and the gas bottles are included. The LIM, title, consented plans, building inspection report and ECan permit are in the documents, and settlement is flexible.