River Run

In many ways, it’s a familiar story of a young couple wanting to own their first home and not being able to afford it in Auckland. Dan and Sam Smith, who both grew up in Hamilton, looked south and decided the Waikato region’s affordability was alluring, as was its comparatively minute traffic issues and its proximity to family. Their journey deviated in its predictability when Dan saw a narrow piece of land in Taupiri, facing north toward the river, and his architect brain began ticking over.

He wanted to create something that sang out from the land, but didn’t dominate; he wanted the home to feel like