Victoria Stuart and Jeremy Stephenson, who own a paddleboard business, had been looking for a year when they finally discovered an ideal home for their young family in a tree-filled, semi-secret enclave in Castor Bay.
"We'd come from Remuera where Orakei Basin was right on our doorstep, yet I'd always felt that I wanted a Shore lifestyle for our kids - if only we could find the right house," says Victoria
"Of course we needed to be near the beach, for paddleboarding - and that's just five minutes away - but what I really wanted, too, was water on-site, and this place certainly fitted the bill."
Built in the late 1980s, then extensively renovated by the original owners in 2005, number 81 is generously proportioned and occupies a 1496sq m section of largely native plantings, with a lovely little stream running past the main decking area, and a fern canopy above, rich with bird life, including wood pigeons and tui.
"The stream was definitely an attraction," Victoria says. "It's all been done properly by the council, so there are never any problems, and I just love it, all year round."
Set across a number of cleverly combined levels, the cedar-clad house was designed by architect Robyn Bilkey.
Victoria describes the shape as being something like a conch shell. There is a soundproofed semi-separate area immediately to the left of the front door.
While the previous owners had this as a teenage pad and later a pool room, Victoria and Jeremy used it as their master bedroom for a while.
It has its own bathroom and a laundry, which could be converted, or combined, with a kitchenette, making it ideal for extended family or Airbnb. It even has its own subtropical courtyard.
Also on the ground floor is the formal lounge, an intimate snug space that has no TV. "It's where I come if I want peace and quiet," says Victoria.
The lounge opens out on to a deck with native plantings and adjacent is the family room, dining and kitchen wing, which is huge, open and airy.
"It's so versatile, says Victoria, "and we've found that it works really well for us. The kitchen's great and there are so many cupboards, it's almost unbelievable. You can hide practically anything away."
81 Braemar Road, Castor Bay. Photo / Supplied
The four bedrooms are on the next two split-levels and the master suite has a completely new bathroom, in marble, set next door to a walk-in wardrobe.
There's still some potential for re-imagining this part of the house, in terms of space, but the couple are leaving that for the next owners, saying that it has suited them well for now.
To be honest, the only thing we don't have at this property is a swimming pool," says Victoria. "And if it was easy to put one in, we would stay."
"In our business, as you can imagine, the kids are water babies and that's what's inspiring us to look further afield, but everything else here is perfect."
81 Braemar Road, Castor Bay. Photo / Supplied
There is more storage below the house for big things such as sports gear, plus parking for lots of vehicles and boats.
Victoria says that the neighbours are all really lovely.
"I taught Margie, next door, to paddleboard, and another great neighbour has been buying sections around us and replanting them with trees."
The result of this is a children's utopia where Victoria and Jeremy's children have played hide-and-seek, caught frogs, practised basketball and explored to their hearts' content.
