I would go with a walnut stain with a wood with small grain and no knots. This would be consider a modern look. Or mid century modern. Which is back in style. Cedar would be best over pine.

I'm guessing you are from NZ (kiwi) :) The handy sanders did our floors - http://www.handysanders.co.nz/. They did an AWESOME job and are reasonable priced. I would definitely recommend.

Hi Michelle - It looks like treated pine to me, and looks as though it has been recently built. If you did nothing it would fade to a grey colour within 6 months or so. This would probably blend in with the house quite well, and you wouldn't have to do a thing! Otherwise I would stain it - there are lots of stains on the market - see if there is one you like. A dark one would create a nice contrast with the house and make the fence look more like a feature. Good luck!

I like the look of horizontal long run iron would this be a good choice for a house which is exposed to salt bearing southerly wind. Would it be more expensive than traditional wood?