Located just 3.8km from Orewa and overlooking the Orewa Estuary, Queens Homes’ masterplanned development at 120 Kowhai Road transforms a 5.95ha greenfield site into a thoughtfully designed residential neighbourhood. Surrounded by established and fast-growing suburbs like Millwater and Milldale, the development delivers 66 residential lots and two superlots, within a high-amenity, ecologically enhanced setting.

Cato Bolam were lead consultants, managing the entire project from planning, surveying and engineering through to ecological assessment and offset delivery. Key features include diverse lot sizes with strong urban design controls, an esplanade reserve and public walkway linking to the Orewa River, and a significant landscaping plan using native and exotic vegetation to strengthen neighbourhood character and biodiversity.

A standout achievement was the stream offset programme: with the development requiring the loss of three low-quality streams for stability works, Cato Bolam led an exhaustive search to identify and deliver an offset site. This resulted in 1.2ha of indigenous planting and major riparian restoration, improving water quality, stream connectivity, and ecological resilience — a rare and complex accomplishment.

Thanks to Cato Bolam’s multidisciplinary leadership and problem-solving, Queens Homes was able to achieve a high-yield outcome on a physically challenging site, without compromising design quality, amenity or ecological integrity. The result is a development that enhances the landscape, supports the local community, and sets a benchmark for integrated urban planning in the Orewa area.