Picture Perfect: 26 New Zealand Fireplaces to Warm Up Beside
Ain't nothing better than a fireplace in winter, as these wonderful examples show
The wood-burning fireplace is something of a disappearing feature in many New Zealand houses: around the country, air-quality regulations in most urban areas have outlawed open fireplaces in favour of heat pumps, underfloor heating and gas heaters. Many people have even eschewed wood burners – which are no less lovely – because they just don’t have time to light them. We need instant warmth nowadays, preferably something you can start from your smartphone.
Which is a shame: there’s nothing quite as lovely as curling up near a wood-burning fireplace – inside or outside – and getting it going. Making fire is part ritual, part performance, part muscle memory: you clean out the grate, build the new fire and get it going… And then as the evening wears on you add logs before damping it down overnight. For anyone who doesn’t get to enjoy the pleasures of burning things, here are some lovely examples to inspire you.
Which is a shame: there’s nothing quite as lovely as curling up near a wood-burning fireplace – inside or outside – and getting it going. Making fire is part ritual, part performance, part muscle memory: you clean out the grate, build the new fire and get it going… And then as the evening wears on you add logs before damping it down overnight. For anyone who doesn’t get to enjoy the pleasures of burning things, here are some lovely examples to inspire you.
1. Home and hearth in wine country. Blenheim, Marlborough
2. Up in the trees. Piha, Auckland
3. Stone, wood, leather… fire. Wanaka, Central Otago.
4. Contemporary goes medieval. Waiheke Island, Auckland
5. The perfect spot for a cool afternoon. Remuera, Auckland
6. Wood, wood and more wood. Titirangi, Auckland
7. It’s open but it’s closed: genius at the beach. Takapuna, Auckland
8. A hearty hearth, lovely view and a room with big timbery beams. Waiheke Island, Auckland
9. The space for afternoon naps. Karekare, Auckland
10. Wild but beautiful home comforts. Taieri, Otago
11. Things of stone and wood. Kauaeranga Valley, Coromandel
12. A blazing fire, a view of the mountains: basically ideal. Wanaka, Central Otago
13. A beautiful moment: view, wood, concrete. Waiheke Island, Auckland
14. Post-beach relaxation. Piha, Auckland
15. If you’re going to have a stone fireplace, make it a big one. Matakana, Rodney
16. Elegant yet comfortable: perfection in ply. Lake Tarawera, Rotorua
17. Modernists should approve. Blenheim, Marlborough
18. Inside and out. Great Barrier Island, Auckland
19. Keeping out the cold. Waiheke Island, Auckland
20. Standing up to the view. Queenstown, Central Otago
21. An artful hearth: it’s gas, but they’re forgiven. Freemans Bay, Auckland
22. The perfect spot for mulled wine? Bay of Islands, Northland
23. A hearth at perfect cooking height. Kohimarama, Auckland
25. Sweet and cosy retreat. Mount Maunganui, Tauranga
26. A mid-century gem. Christchurch, Canterbury