DEEP IN THOUGHT

This two-storey former state house on a Lyttelton hillside sports an exterior paint scheme that’s loud and proud for good reason. Boaties navigating the harbour use it as a landmark and the citrusy orange speaks a similar visual language as a neighbouring state house in apple green.

Although the owners — a couple and their two teenagers — are community-minded, they don’t have mana whenua here. They moved south from Auckland for study and then work, and ended up here “by happy accident” because they wanted to be close to the water and found this then three-bedroom home after renting in the area. When