SCHOOL ZONES:
Mellons Bay Primary, Bucklands Beach Intermediate, Macleans College.
CONTACT:
Heather Walton, Ray White. Ph 021 432 167.
An elegant Cape Cod-style home that hunkers down in the lee of the clifftops above Mellons Bay has brought a remarkable sense of stillness into the lives of Sonia and John Benfell, a couple who are, by their own definition, nomadic by nature.
For 20 years from 1991 until they bought this property in early 2012, this intrepid New Zealand-born couple had lived in Hong Kong and Sydney, and raised three children who'd only ever known this country as a holiday destination.
So when their youngest, Jared, who is now aged 20, liked the idea of living here when he and his parents came back for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Sonia and John picked up the idea, ran with the nostalgia that it evoked -- and made their move.
For them, it was time to reacquaint themselves with the country they'd left when their firstborn, Rachel, now 25, was just 18 months old.
"We decided to put New Zealand on trial. We wanted to try it, to see what it had to offer and to see if we wanted to be here long term," says John.
Proximity to extended family in Howick was part of the appeal, as was their connection with that area when they moved from Christchurch to Botany Downs in the late 1980s when suburban Howick was farmland. This time around, family practicalities led them to this home and a lifestyle they've cherished.
Says John: "We've lived in enough places around the world to know a great house when we see one."
Sheltered from the prevailing westerly winds, this home is hidden from the street and cuts a dashing figure with its black Cedar weatherboard/solid plaster exterior and the deep white architraves around the multi-paned windows.
The Otago schist is the New Zealand aesthetic; the black and white, half-timber exterior a Cape Cod architectural aesthetic from the northeastern seaboard of the United States.
Image 1 of 6: Poised on the cliff, this pristine property's panoramic views will captivate and inspire
Designed and built in 2003 around the pre-existing pool, this three-storey home with its asphalt shingle roof was the response of architectural designer Crofton Umbers to a steep, angled site on which he has achieved almost complete privacy from seaside neighbours.
He located all the living areas and John's study on the top floor. The formal lounge with its gas fireplace and the inter-connecting family room by the open-plan granite kitchen lead to a wide deck. All four bedrooms including the master wing are located discreetly off hallways that open in two directions beyond the mid-level atrium lobby directly downstairs.
Another flight of stairs leads down into the games room with its fully-equipped fitted kitchen and courtyard.
The mid-level wrap-around seaward decks mean every bedroom has a tranquillity enhanced by sea views that stretch from Rangitoto Island in the west to the Coromandel in the east.
From the pool and its deck above the sub-tropical perimeter gardens, the view that skims the clifftop home below them is protected by caveat, preventing that property from being extended upwards.
All these elements have created a home that John describes as "a nice place to come home to".
With Rachel and her brother, Daniel, 23, both based in Sydney and Jared established on his own career path, a smaller home nearer the central city is what Sonia and John aspire to now.
"I don't like standing still really," says John. "We travel a lot and we like change. New Zealand is really working for us and we'll be here for a bit longer. I guess this is really another stopover."
