29 MONYASH ROAD,
MANLY, WHANGAPARAOA.
KEY POINTS:
It's nearly 30 years since the Shears first started bringing their family to Manly for the holidays.
But memories of those early trips in the family van from their home in Lynfield, West Auckland, to the Whangaparaoa Peninsula are still strong.
"As soon as we pulled up in
the driveway, the van doors would swing open, the boys would jump out, cross the road and head straight for the beach," recalls Tony Shears.
Tony and his wife, Elizabeth, bought their 820sq m Monyash Rd section in 1979 and camped on it for five years when their boys, Nick and Chris, were young.
The Spears initially planned to build a bach on their east-facing section, which has views out across Big Manly beach and over to Rangitoto Island in the south.
As the family grew to include daughters Amy and Emma, so did the lure to move permanently to Manly.
Fishing off the rocks, family outings in the runabout around the Whangaparaoa Peninsula and snorkelling in the bay for scallops were too much fun to be confined only to the holidays. And many of the Spears' West Auckland friends were also moving to Manly.
So the Spears asked architect Wayne Houston to design them a four-bedroom home with plenty of living spaces to accommodate four children.
"As soon as we moved in we thought, 'Gosh, we should have done this years ago', because it was like being permanently on holiday," says Elizabeth.
Their three-storey house is designed to make the most of beach views with the family room, dining room and kitchen on the main, middle level stretching right across the front of the property almost to its boundaries.
On the same level are two bedrooms, including one with a loft and a large games room that leads to a teenage retreat in the west wing of the house.
With its own hot water supply, sink, bathroom, bedroom and outdoor access, this area could easily be used as a self-contained flat.
The upstairs level includes a master bedroom and en suite, adjoining seaward-facing lounge and baby's room. The bottom-level basement is large enough for three cars and a workshop.
"It's been a great house for the kids to have friends over to because of all the spaces and accommodating our extended family at Christmas has never been a problem," says Tony.
The couple was out cycling last year, in training for the Otago rail trail, when Elizabeth spotted a show home for Kensington Park, Orewa's first master planned community.
The idea of a moving into a new home with a residents' association and minimal maintenance appealed to the Spears who are looking forward to meeting other couples at the same empty nest stage of life.
Their new four-bedroom Kensington Park home will still be big enough to accommodate all four children when they visit, says Elizabeth.
"We'll miss this house like we'll miss an old friend, but you have to let go of really amazing things and people and experiences to let new ones in."