Park up at the end of a suburban Mount Albert road lined with one-storeyed bungalows, wander down a long driveway, and you’ll find an utterly unexpected sight; an oddly shaped section covered by an impressive, walled and tiled subtropical garden. To the side, a green-doored, modern house – an example of architecture like nothing else on the Auckland street – nestles into the topography.
Inside, ceramicist Rachel Carley lives with her husband, Sean Flanagan, and their three-year-old son, William.