When Jon and Bobbie Ibbotson bought their home in Dingle Rd in 1990, Bobbie said she would commit to staying there for 10 years.
"That was before we had discovered all of the delights of living in St Heliers," says Bobbie.
The Ibbotsons had been searching for somewhere to buy for about a year when Bobbie found this three-level house that had originally been built as a simple bach in the 1930s when St Heliers was still a seaside resort.
Previous owners had extended the house but it was in need of renovation and Bobbie was not sure whether the challenge was worth tackling.
"I came and saw the house first and I almost didn't tell Jon because even though it was in such a state, I knew that he would love the potential of the garden."
The 850sq m property at the top end of Dingle Rd faces due north, slopes gently down towards the water and has views straight out to Rangitoto Island and St Heliers Bay.
Bobbie recalls that Jon, an avid gardener, took one look at the section then said: "I can make any house liveable."
The Ibbotsons replaced the old kitchen and main bathroom within a year of moving in and they went on to make several other improvements over the years.
But the greatest transformation was in the garden, which 24 years ago had little to boast about other than two large rimu, a magnolia, some camellias and a grapefruit tree, before Jon gradually turned it into the tranquil oasis it is today.
"A Hills Hoist clothes line occupied the prime site, a very plain concrete path ran right down the middle of the section and much of the garden had such solid yellow clay, you could makes bricks of it -- which we did," says Jon.
A series of garden rooms, defined by hedges and low garden walls, now contain pretty perennial borders, fruit trees and vegetable beds. There is also a wild garden at the bottom of the property which is canopied by mature ponga.
The house sits in an elevated spot at the top of the property. Almost all the rooms on its three levels have pleasant and interesting views across rooftops to the water.
A walkway from Dingle Rd takes you to the beach and St Heliers Bay shops in about five minutes.
You enter the house at its main, middle level. Off the foyer are a living and dining room with the large kitchen to the left and Jon's office to the right. In front of the dining room is a pleasant sunroom, where the Ibbotsons spend much of their time.
A wide, north-west facing deck opens off this space and off Jon's office where the windows are framed in spring by a magnificent wisteria vine.
Image 1 of 5: A series of landscaped rooms provide a striking setting for this cherished abode
This level also includes a bathroom, a small north-facing space off the kitchen, which Bobbie uses as an office, the laundry, a single and a double bedroom.
Stairs off the foyer lead to the top level where the large sun-filled master bedroom has great views, two separate wardrobes and a large bathroom.
On the bottom level is a bedsit-style studio flat with a kitchenette, shower, toilet and rear storage room. The flat, which Jon uses as an art studio, has been an ideal separate space for relatives to stay in over the years and it has also been tenanted.
