Okura: One that got away

A job offer in Australia has forced a family to abandon what was going to be their long-term home.

181 Okura River Road, Okura.

Michael and Annette Cvitanovich bought their home at Okura, near Long Bay, last year, imagining that they'd be there for many years to come.

They decorated throughout, put in a new kitchen, tarsealed the driveway and landscaped extensively. They got a builder in to start work on an en suite and talked about where they would put a swimming pool.

And then Michael got an offer of a job in Australia that was just too good to turn down.

"It's a real shame," says Annette. "We'd just about got it how we wanted it and were really pleased. But the new job, as the general manager of a fishing company in Adelaide, was too good an opportunity to miss."

The Cvitanovichs moved to Okura from Whangaparaoa to be closer to Kristin School in Albany, where daughters Natalie, 10, and Olivia, 8, are pupils. They originally went to look at the English farmhouse-style home because it was on just 0.4ha of land.

"We didn't want a five or 10-acre block to look after, so the size of the land here was ideal for us," says Annette. "And while it has got a rural feel, it's very close to shops and the motorway."

The house could hardly be seen from the road because plants along the boundary were so overgrown, but once the couple got up close they were won over.

"It was a bit tired but we loved it. The house is made of Hinuera stone and is so solid."

The previous owners had built a separate granny flat for a family member, so the Cvitanovichs decorated that first then lived there while work was carried out on the main house. Granny flat is a misnomer - the building is a comfortably sized two-bedroom unit. Michael has been using it as an office of late and, because it's detached, it would make an ideal work-from-home space .

In the main house, the kitchen renovations were the biggest job. A wall was removed, creating one large area with informal sitting and dining spaces at either end of the galley kitchen.

The new designer kitchen is made from European beech and has cream granite work surfaces and Bosch appliances, including a gas hob and combination oven/microwave.

"I love things like the sliding shelves, that make it easy to reach things at the back, and the drawers that don't slam," says Annette.

Double doors off the kitchen lead to the formal dining room. The previous owners used it as a bedroom, hence the built-in wardrobes and en suite. It would also make a suitable family room, children's playroom or even a gym.

In the formal living room at the other end of the kitchen, a stunning Hinuera stone woodburning fire is the outstanding feature. Above it is a screen for the home theatre, and a cupboard under the stairs is a handy place to hide away TV and stereo equipment and the DVD collection.

All the living areas face north, and the sun pours in all day, making blinds a necessity in summer.

Upstairs are three bedrooms. The master bedroom has an en suite that's still a work in progress but due for completion soon, and there's another bathroom for the girls. Off Natalie's bedroom is a storage room that's perfect for toys and a computer, and there are more cupboards in the hall.

Michael is a keen gardener and responsible for the remarkable transformation of the grounds.

The tangled overgrowth of vegetation is gone, replaced by low-maintenance gardens featuring stunning architectural plants, including three huge Phoenix palms.

"Michael said he was getting mature trees but it was still a bit of a shock when the palms arrived on the back of an articulated truck," says Annette. She says the only consolation about leaving their home is the fact that many homes in Adelaide are constructed in a similar style.

Vital Statistics

BEDROOMS: 6

BATHROOMS: 4

GARAGE: 2+

SIZE: Land 4046sq m, main house 360sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Interest expected over $2 million. Tenders close Dec 12.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 2.30-4pm.

CONTACT: Ron Clerke, Premium, ph 021 829 839, 09 424 4430 a/h.

FEATURES: Ten-year-old Hinuera stone-clad, two-storey house with home theatre. Separate two-bedroom flat. Paved patio and courtyards, landscaped grounds. Internal-access double garage. Large utility shed or extra garage. Views over Okura to the Hauraki Gulf.