Greenlane: Acting on impulse

A trip to Mexico, followed by one dramatic day, propelled a couple in an unexpected direction.

179 Campbell Road, Greenlane.

Ruth and Bob Couch thought they'd found the place in which to see out their days when they stumbled across their elegant home opposite Cornwall Park.

That was just nine months ago. They are moving on so soon not because they don't love the house, but because an unexpected combination of events has set them on a path they never saw themselves taking. After living most of their lives in Auckland, Ruth and Bob are off to the Coromandel to do up a house by the water.

It's the second time in a year the couple has acted on impulse.

"We weren't intending to buy when we drove past this place," recalls Ruth. "We were quite happy in our house in Remuera, but we saw the sale sign out the front here, came in for a look, fell in love with it and bang. We thought this was it, forever, it had everything we wanted."

But then, in March, she and Bob went to Mexico for a three-week holiday that was to become a life changing experience. They found the atmosphere more free and relaxed than they feel it is in Auckland, and seriously thought about returning to Mexico to live.

"We came back and felt so restless," says Ruth. "I felt done with Auckland. Then my sister rang and told me to look up a place on the internet that was for sale on the Coromandel. An hour later I got a phone call to say Bob had been in a car accident. He was all right, thank God, and no sooner had we got home again than he had a call asking him if he wanted to take part in the Targa rally [Bob's done a lot of rally driving over the years]. We went straight over to St Heliers to talk to someone about it, and I was looking out the window at a view of water, and a rock with a bird on it. We came home, I looked up this place on the internet, and there was the same view. It seemed meant to be."

So Ruth and Bob are off on a new adventure, leaving their two-storeyed home for a new owner. The house was originally a small bungalow, built in the 1940s, and a builder-owner sympathetically added the upstairs level nine years ago.

Art deco leadlight adorns the home, in the striking front door and in many windows.

Bob shows me his pride and joy first - a double garage that also has room for an office and workshop. It even has stairs that pull down from the ceiling to allow access to a cavernous attic. This is the ultimate bloke's shed.

Through the internal entry to the house is the hallway leading to the gracious living room. Chandeliers hang from engraved plaster domes, sun streams through north-facing windows, and a woodburner provides added warmth in winter.

Around a curved wall inlaid with glass blocks is the family area, opening on one side to a courtyard-type deck, and on the other to the modern kitchen.

There are three bedrooms and a bathroom downstairs, while the master suite is upstairs. The master bedroom has windows on three walls to bring in sun all day. As well as a walk-in wardrobe and an en suite, it also has its own sitting room at the top of the stairs, which opens onto a Juliet balcony.

"This is my Playstation room," laughs Bob, gesturing to the TV set up in the corner.

The large trees in the garden are mainly deciduous, allowing sun into the property in winter and providing leafy shade in summer. There is a gingko by the deck, a cherry at the front, a silver birch by the garage, and a large tree overhanging the driveway which no one has been able to identify with any certainty.

"We've even had an arborist here and he didn't know," says Ruth. "It has bright green leaves and red berries in the spring, then the leaves turn orange and yellow in autumn. It's absolutely beautiful, we just don't know what it is."

That mystery may be solved by the next owner. Ruth and Bob are looking forward to their seaside retreat, but are still a little sad to be passing on their "perfect house" so soon.

"It's elegant, comfy and convenient to so many places," says Bob. "And after once living in a house that was sheltered from the sun we've loved the amount of sun this one gets. It's amazing what a difference that makes."

Vital Statistics

SIZE: Land: Freehold crosslease half share of 1013sq m. House: 258sq m incl garage/workshop.

PRICE INDICATION: Interest expected above $700,000. Auction September 7.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 1-1.45pm.

CONTACT: Teresa Graham, Barfoot& Thompson, ph 636 7079 bus, 021 931 545 mob.

FEATURES: Northwest facing 1940s bungalow with a second level tastefully added nine years ago. Master suite with sitting room upstairs. Woodburner in lounge, underfloor heating in family room, kitchen and bathrooms. Huge garage, workshop, and attic space. Opposite Cornwall Park.