Island vista in Kohimarama

26 Siota Crescent, Kohimarama. Photo / Ted Baghurst.

26 SIOTA CRESCENT, KOHIMARAMA

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SIZE: Land 840sq m, house 275sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: CV $1.94 million. Tender closes 4pm, March 22.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 4-4.30pm.

ON THE WEB: barfoot.co.nz/470840

SCHOOL ZONES: Kohimarama School, Selwyn College.

CONTACT: Karin Cooper, Barfoot & Thompson St Heliers, ph 585 2526 or 027 4912158.

FEATURES: Three-level Art Deco home with sea views. Section zoned residential 6a. Plenty of off-street -parking.

It's no surprise the views sold Katie McRae and her husband on this home when they bought it about 40 years ago.

Sitting on a ridge overlooking the harbour, the Art Deco home has a proliferation of windows that capture sea views and the beauty of Rangitoto Island.

"I remember when we bought it, ringing my parents and telling them that you could only hide from Rangitoto if you were in the lavatory because it was everywhere in the windows of the house," says Katie.

The home's elevation also meant it stood out from down below and that earned Katie some ribbing after the house was painted pink on the recommendation of architect David Howell, who oversaw a renovation of the property in the 1980s.

Katie says a colleague used to tell people she lived in "the pink nipple on the hill".

"Painting it pink was another one of David's things and that wasn't the done thing in those days," she laughs.

While that exterior colour scheme has been replaced by a sandy yellow, Howell's sympathetic extension of the home is still evident.

Two bedrooms were added upstairs, one accessed by a neat spiral staircase from what was the garage at the front of the house. This was built in to create a playroom/TV room for the family's four children. The other new upstairs bedroom, added to the western side, was designed to complement the look of the house, which sits at the end of a cul de sac.

"It's a lovely old house with great lines and David was clever because he made this room small and put the wrap-around balcony in between the room and the chimney so you could see all the different levels from the street," says Katie.

Wrapping around northern, western and southern sides of the house, the balcony has stunning harbour views, as do the neighbouring bedrooms, including the master bedroom with en suite.

The upstairs bathroom has a mirror inset made up of remnants from other windows removed during the renovation. This is another of Howell's Art Deco touches. Others include the black, yellow and blue tiles in the entrance, kitchen and conservatory; a marble and stainless steel hearth around an open fire; and a frosted glass front door with a bird of paradise motif.

Both the kitchen and glass-roofed conservatory, which is off the lounge, open to the north-facing upper deck. The dining room between the kitchen and lounge has a large window with a harbour view. Decks are curved and step down to a sheltered, private lawn below. The large downstairs laundry opens out to this lawn and is ripe for redevelopment.

Daughter Mary Richardson, who is married to former-NZ-cricketer-tuned-TV-commentator Mark Richardson, says as children they would weave through the backyards of neighbouring homes on their way to school. While that is no longer possible, there is a right of way outside the home's front gate that gives easy access to Madill's Farm reserve and the beach.