One of the best rooms at Greystones doesn’t have walls.
It sits between house and garden - sheltered overhead, open to the planting and sun around it - and over the course of a day it might be a breakfast room, somewhere to read, a place to share a bottle of wine or simply the spot everyone gravitates towards with the fire roaring when the evening is too good to go inside.
That outdoor pavilion tells you a great deal about Greystones.
Designed by Nick Bevin of Bevin + Slessor Architects, the award-winning residence was never intended to dominate its setting. Instead, architecture and garden work together, with strong horizontal lines, changes in level and a restrained palette of zinc, Western Red Cedar, precast concrete and concrete block.
There is no single 'garden', either.
The 902m² site unfolds as a series of places.
Some catch the sun. Others are protected and enclosed. Steps and paths connect terraces and pockets of planting, meaning the property reveals itself as you move through it rather than from one obvious vantage point.
Inside, that same sense of progression continues.
Living areas connect easily with the garden, while subtle changes in level allow rooms to feel connected without becoming one large open space.
The primary suite occupies the ground floor, with walk-in wardrobe and ensuite. Upstairs, the second main-house bedroom has its own bathroom and library nook - a small detail, but one that gives the upper level a sense of retreat.
Separate from the main accommodation is a fully self-contained one-bedroom apartment with independent external access, its own bathroom, kitchenette and living room. Previously used for short-stay accommodation, it could equally suit guests, extended family, creative work or someone who simply appreciates having a part of the house that can operate independently.
Wood fires and underfloor heating add warmth in winter, while a wine cellar provides another of those spaces you might not expect to find here.
Despite the privacy, Havelock North village is only minutes away by car and approximately a ten-minute walk.
Greystones doesn't rely on excess to be memorable.
It is a house of proportions, materials, light, planting and small moments that make more sense the longer you spend there.
For someone who values architecture not simply to look at, but to live in, Greystones deserves to be experienced rather than explained.
Key features
• Designed by Nick Bevin, Bevin + Slessor Architects
• Hawke's Bay NZIA Resene Local Award for Architecture, 2007
• Featured in New Zealand Architecture and 100 Dream Houses From Downunder
• Approximately 417m² total floor area
• 902m² established site
• Main residence with two bedrooms
• Ground-floor primary suite with ensuite and walk-in wardrobe
• Upper-level bedroom with bathroom and library nook
• Separate self-contained one-bedroom apartment
• Three living spaces
• Outdoor pavilion
• Terraced landscaped gardens
• Zinc, Western Red Cedar, precast concrete and concrete-block material palette
• Wood fires and underfloor heating
• Wine cellar
• Double garaging plus additional off-street parking
• Approximately ten minutes' walk from Havelock North village
• Capital Value dated 1 August 2025: $3,180,000
A full information pack is available, including the property brochure, floor plans, LIM and title by placing this link in your browser - https://bit.ly/Greystones38aMuritaiCresPIP
