THE PRESS - When architect Jonty Rout, of Sheppard & Rout, drew the plans for this magnificent home at the top of Clifton Hill some 10 years ago, it was clearly ahead of its time in terms of its specifications.

Today, despite the many advances in design features, 48 Revelation Drive is still very much state of the art, proving that inspired design and great form and functionality will never date. If location is the first, second and third factor for buyers, this property has a big advantage. Its Mediterranean style is in perfect harmony with its sea, city and rural views, providing a substantial home sitting well on a heaven-sent site.

Drive-on access, double garaging and a turning bay make this hill site one of the most accessible, a real plus in this area. The iron gates, with keyboard and remote-controlled security, open to take you down cream, tiled steps, past the driveway and down to the house. In a barley-twist design the iron hand rail curves down to the tiled entry courtyard where a water feature, with sea-blue tiles and raised planters, define the very Mediterranean design. This style is repeated in the plaster-over-masonry exterior, with its fully functioning wooden shutters and terracotta-coloured concrete-tiled roof.

The surrounding multi-levelled gardens, designed by Robert Watson, have attracted a lot of interest throughout New Zealand, having featured in a variety of garden and landscaping magazines. Fragrant rosemary spills over banks, pencil cyprus form orderly lines down to a tiled water feature at the bottom of the garden, and figs and olives provide interest and form. The spa pool, set into a separate wooden deck, is a perfect place to lose any city stress.

Enjoyable by day, the garden is also extensively lit for the evening while flat expanses of lawn are also incorporated in this stepped garden, it would be hard to imagine tearing yourself off either of the two tiled terraces that extend from the house on two levels. Both provide a perfect place to sit and take in the panoramic views of Pegasus Bay, the Estuary, Southshore, the city and Southern Alps, a combination of views that would be almost impossible to match from any other site. With its north-west aspect, the property enjoys a micro-climate which is about five degrees above the Christchurch’s norm.

If you can extract yourself away from the gardens, you’ll find a home that unfolds beautifully from an expansive cream-tiled foyer. Immediately to the left is a full bathroom that can also be accessed from a bedroom opening through French doors onto the entry courtyard. This is a perfect bedroom for guests, a teenager or older relative where space and privacy are prized. This bathroom is also the first glimpse of what is no ordinary home in terms of style. The blue glass basin balances on a cone of copper. A double glass shower and toilet complete this well-appointed room.

To the right is entry into the family dining, living and kitchen areas, all large spaces enjoying the picture perfect views. Black-granite benches complement the dark walls and the soft glow of the Kauri cabinetry. Gaggenau appliances, an instant-boiling-water dispenser, are plumbed-in double fridge-freezer with icemaker, an Asko dishwasher and a walk-in pantry combine to make this a true entertainer’s kitchen.

Add a fully integrated sound system, a Macrocarpa tongue-and-groove cathedral-style ceiling, and access to the expansive terrace through French doors and you will start to get a feel for the level of detail which makes this home rather special.

The next level down contains a formal dining room and a living area, both with access to the terrace. A chandelier of silver wire and halogen lighting hangs over the dining table, and matches the silver-wired track lighting in the formal and family living areas.  With five doors opening to the terrace, the formal living and dining area expands beyond the walls of the home, spilling to the outdoors. This allows all the living and dining areas to be opened for large-scale entertaining which, with the sound system wired to the terraces, this home was clearly designed to do.

From the foyer, stairs take you down to a third large living area or games room, a second bathroom, a master suite, two further bedrooms and wine cellar. The bedrooms and games room all have access to the second of the two terraces which has panoramic views.

The master suite has a walk-in wardrobe which has been fitted with open drawers and a dressing area, while its ensuite would make most family-sized bathrooms look a little mean on space. This en suite, with its tiled floors and walls, has a deep bath with a view, a basin of opaque glass cantilevered off the wall, the glass shower which incorporates a massage setting, and a toilet.

Private, sheltered and certainly a marvellous example of Jonty Rout’s work, this property offers an incomparable lifestyle within striking distance of the central business district. Its price puts it unashamedly at the top end of the market, but genuinely interested buyers would be hard-pressed to argue that this property isn’t worth every cent of it.

At a glance…

Address: 48 Revelation Drive, Sumner.

Description: Substantial and highly specified Mediterranean style home, plaster over solid masonry. Four bedrooms, three living areas, two dining areas, entertainer’s kitchen, superb outdoor living from multi-tiered gardens and two tiled terraces. Double garaging, security entrance and very good access. Private and secluded with a north-west aspect.

Land area: 968sqm

For Sale: By Private Treaty $2.15m

Agents: Nigel and Wendy Mayson, Simes MREINZ ph 377 1460 or 027 222 5858, or see www.simes.co.nz ID# 10746