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A 120-year-old farmhouse owned by Matakana artists Mike Petre and Vicki Fanning will offer a historic contrast to the mostly contemporary houses on the Hospice Homes Tour next month.
Mike and Vicki’s house and garden is one of 10 in and around Matakana that will be open to ticket holders on Sunday, November 4, to raise funds for Harbour Hospice services in the Warkworth Wellsford community.
Mike bought the Ward Road property in 2002, and employed his design and building skills to return the badly run-down house to a liveable state.
Now wider and skirted by verandahs, the house nevertheless retains the best of its original craftsmanship – handmade nails, mortise and tenon lintels and tongue and groove panelling. It’s filled with New Zealand artworks the couple have made, bought or bartered for.
Mike is known for his iconic black and white cattle paintings and, increasingly, for his architectural talents. He designed and helped build The Vivian art gallery and the Sawmill Brewery, and has added a couple of follies to his property – a tranquil reading room and a tower in the trees, which offers an extra guest room for those willing to climb to bed.
Vicki creates her edgy artworks using glass and ceramics and, like Mike, is a regular exhibitor at The Vivian.
The Hospice Homes Tour runs from 9.30am to 4pm. Tickets are $50 and buyers can register at harbourhospice.org.nz, or by calling Tui House on 09 425 9535.
