KEY POINTS:
An American family have made an annual pilgrimage to this slice of New Zealand heaven.
12 Beach Parade, Oneroa Beach, Waiheke Island.
When American Nancy Ritzenthaler was transferred from her job in Seattle to Auckland she would not have believed that she would find a property so
special that she would return there every summer for the next 13 years.
It's a dedicated holiday-maker who makes a trip of 20 hours or more to their New Zealand beach house, but Nancy and her partner Al Odmark say it's been worth it.
``It was the idea of a swim before breakfast that did it for me,'' smiles Nancy, remembering the day she saw the unassuming house set back from the sand of Oneroa Beach, sheltered by a giant pohutukawa in the front yard.
``I just fell in love with it.''
She and Al lived here for two years while Nancy commuted to Auckland's CBD and her job at Microsoft. When the time came to return to Seattle they couldn't bear to sell the property so rented it out on the understanding they could have it back for two months every summer.
As the years passed they got married, had daughter Erika, now 10, then twins Ingrid and Aksel, who are about to turn five.
Now, with the twins about to start school, and the increasing expense and effort of making the trip south, the family has decided to let practicality win out and sell their beloved piece of New Zealand.
There are a thousand things they'll miss - among them the sound of the sea as the tide slides in and out (Nancy can tell whether it's full or low by listening to the sound the waves make on the shore), lounging on the wide verandah sheltered from the sun or the rain, picking peaches, mandarins and custard apples from trees in the garden, and watching the stars come out while lying in a spa pool they used to have beside the house.
By the time we visit at 11am Ingrid and Aksel are rinsing off saltwater in tubs in the garden after their second swim of the day. The front yard's trees and a karo hedge enable it to be private without blocking the view of the water.
A pathway winds through the garden to the house, which you can enter through sliding doors on the lower level, or through a door and up a slate staircase to the upper floor.
The lower level contains a large semi-divided space that could be a bedroom and lounge, or a games room. The home's two bathrooms are also down here.
At the top of the stairs are two bedrooms, the master opening onto the verandah and the view.
``You can lie in bed and see what the waves are like,'' says Nancy.
The kitchen runs along the back of the house and looks out into a paved courtyard.
Nancy and Al renovated the kitchen about five years ago in keeping with the 1950s house's bachy style - tongue and groove wall panels and cupboard doors are painted cream.
A dining area next door opens into a large lounge, which in turn opens onto the verandah through sliding doors.
An open fire is here for winter weekends, but for now you are drawn to stretch out on a couch below a bank of corner windows and enjoy the sun which moves across the north-facing house throughout the day.
The verandah - wide, shaded and wreathed in bougainvillea - is like something out of a Somerset Maugham novel.
``Sitting out here whatever the weather has been one of the real pleasures of being here,'' says Nancy.
She and Al have also loved the location.
``You've got the beach right here, and the Oneroa shops and cafes are two minutes walk up the road. We don't have a car here - it simplifies things.''
Nancy and Al have owned this house longer than they've owned any in the States. They'll be sad to not have it to look forward to when the chill northern winds start blowing in Seattle. But the time has come to let go - and let someone else enjoy swims before breakfast.
VITAL STATISTICS
BEDROOMS: 2+
BATHROOMS: 2
GARAGES: 1
SIZE: Land 830sq m, house 120sq m.
PRICE: $2.75 million.
INSPECT: Sat/Sun/Mon 11.30am-12.30pm.
ON THE WEB: www.premium.co.nz # 10256
CONTACT: Chris Palmer, Premium, ph 372 1083 bus, 0274 734 721.
FEATURES: 1950s character beach house with beautiful views of Oneroa bay through trees that provide shade and privacy. Downstairs rumpus room could be another bedroom/bunkroom. Open fire in lounge. Wide, covered verandah acts as an outdoor room. Provision for outdoor spa pool. A few minutes walk to Oneroa shops and cafes.