About Us

With our boys gone there’s an empty nest with no need for the footie posts out on the lawn in winter nor the cricket pitch in summer; that is until they come home for a visit and reunite with their friends for games anew.  But the tennis court still plays well and the heated in-ground swimming pool is wonderful in Canterbury’s summer.

So we’ve this wonderful property, a home and cottage set amongst beautiful gardens, that we now share with family and friends, old and new.  All who stay at The Elms experience the peaceful tranquility of its country setting, close but away from the city’s hurly-burly.

Louise is a keen gardener and she quickly moved to establish the extensive gardens once the property was purchased.  Rhododendrons are her favourites so it was natural that they were her primary focus for planting and any surplus specimens propagated  are offered for sale.

Pippi, our black labrador puppy shares the property with a small flock of bantams and another of doves.   There are hosts of other birds surrounding us, the normal english imports, plus the occasional rarer bell bird, californian quail, grey warbler, harrier hawk, kingfisher, little owl, magpie, paradise duck, pheasant, pukeko, spur-wing plover and wax- eye.  A family of rabbits lives amongst the blackberries.  Nature is constantly in view.