Herald Island: Sunrise to sunset

Pien and John, with their dog Dougal, can launch their boat from their own ramp or jetty, or drive to the city in half an hour. Photo / Geoff Dale

A waterfront dream came true too soon for one young couple, but they love the area so much they plan to return one day to raise their children.

8 The Terrace, Herald Island.

As keen young boaties looking to explore the more remote reaches of the Waitemata, Pien and John Wise one day happened upon Herald Island.

The ramp at its sweet little marina and boating club allowed their dinghy access to the far western fingertips of the harbour, where the tide wends its way in and out through swathes of mangroves.

They kept travelling across from their home in Cornwallis, on the shores of the Manukau, until they decided they wanted to eventually live on the island.

"We put flyers in lots of letterboxes asking people to contact us if they wanted to sell, and one day someone did," recalls Pien.

The house that came to them has its own boat ramp and jetty, plus a big lawn where their beagle, Dougal, can play. It faces north, and Pien says you can watch the sun both rise and set. Its view across the mangroves is ever-changing - at high tide there's water for neighbours to pass by in boats, kayaks or on windsurfers, at low tide there are mudflats for the pukeko and ducks to pick around the edge. The birdlife is unperturbed by the varied aircraft that sweep overhead to and from the nearby Whenuapai air base.

A glass-roofed sunroom on the house's second level makes the most of the outlook with windows that open wide, and a door that leads to a deck. A woodburner in the lounge adds to the warmth from the captured sun in winter. A wall that used to separate the kitchen from the dining area has been opened with a big serving hatch, and a new six-burner gas hob positioned at its base so the cook can talk to whoever's on the other side, or just look through to the view.

There are three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. Downstairs is a kitchenette, bathroom, office and big rumpus room with its own access from a parking pad by the driveway. This could suit a teenager, or be an ideal space in which to work from home (a previous owner set up the island's sole hairdressing business here). There is also access to this space from the double garage via a hallway, which also leads upstairs.

Pien and John planned to live here, and rented it out until they were ready to move from Cornwallis. However, in the interim these twenty-somethings have been bitten by the travel bug. They want to see more of the world before settling down to have children. Pien, who manages the Crucial Traders cafe in Kingsland, also wants to open her own cafe.

"Selling this place will free us up to do those things," says Pien. "But we're not leaving for good. We've gained a sense of the lovely community on this island - there are always signs up about raft races and Christmas parties - and people really seem to care about each other here. Our neighbours have invited us over for tea and cake, and the place feels safe. I'd like to bring up our children here one day."

As soon as you cross the short causeway from Whenuapai, the island's quiet, undeveloped streets and mixture of baches and older houses make it feel like a holiday retreat. There's a dairy, a little library that's open a few hours a week, a community artists' studio where anyone can hold workshops or exhibitions, and a museum in the little old Post Office. Christmas Beach has a playground and picnic tables, and there's even a treed domain in the centre of the island.

Pien and John's dream came true a bit too soon for them. Now they are helping someone else to live it, with plans to one day return to the island.

Vital Statistics

SIZE: Land 835sq m, house 192sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Around $700,000.

INSPECT: Saturday, 12-1pm.

CONTACT: Pien and John Wise, ph 811 8080, 027 412 2853.

FEATURES: Two-level waterfront home with north-facing views; sunroom; log burner; new gas hob and electric oven; ground floor could be rumpus room, home office or teenage accommodation; upper and lower decks; own boat ramp and jetty.