Playing for keeps in St Heliers

73 Tarawera Tce, St Heliers, Auckland. Photo / Geoff Dale

73 TARAWERA TCE ST HELIERS

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SIZE: Land 1102sq m, house 253sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Upwards of CV $920,000; Auction April 6, 10.30am L4, 50 Kitchener St, Auckland, unless sold beforehand.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 1-1.30pm or by appointment.

ON THE WEB: barfoot.co.nz/451547

SCHOOLS: St Heliers Primary, (Years 1-8) Glendowie College.

CONTACT: Karin Cooper, Barfoot & Thompson, ph 0274 912 158.

FEATURES: Perfectly laid-out replica villa on a large sunny rear site in the most desirable zone of the eastern suburbs.

Something about the large sunny house that Michael and Claire Holloway have called home for the past few years just shouts "family".

Situated in the heart of the most desirable school zones of the eastern bay suburbs, it addresses the educational needs of a family from new entrant to Year 13, and with St Heliers and Kohimarama beaches and the green spaces of Madill's Farm just down the road it has the lifestyle angle covered as well.

Not that these neighbourhood amenities are urgently required when the children are as young as Hannah, 3, and Lucy, 2. They are perfectly content with the many play spaces that their home surroundings offer. Spread across decks, sheltered verandas and rolling lawns on the 1102sq m site, they are spoiled for choice.

Claire says that this sort of play space was an important consideration when they were house-hunting. "We looked for about a year but this was the first place we saw that we instantly warmed to. We loved the way the house linked to the back gardens and decks with the lawns and trees and the layout inside was equally good."

Built as a replica villa in 1996, it marries the advantages of a new house with the charm of a 19th-century character home. High ceilings and gabled roofs have a distinctly period feel about them as does the ship-lapped weatherboard exterior, but the layout deviates from the central corridor and front veranda common in the villa style of older homes to become something more akin to a large rambling cottage.

Three gables dominate the roof line and inside give interesting angles to the ceilings of the upstairs bedrooms while the entrance leads through a large lobby to the living spaces on the ground floor. As befits a modern home these are laid out across the width of the site to take full advantage of the views, sun and privacy.

Wide villa type verandas keep the interior cool and shaded in the summer months and provide the perfect play space for Lucy and Hannah on rainy or sunny days. "The girls use this all the time," says Claire. "Because it runs right across the back they can run in and out and stay under cover all the time."

Michael loves the kitchen in almost a nostalgic way and says: "I come from a farming background in the UK and this kitchen had just enough of the farmhouse feel about it to really appeal." Off to one side is the dining area and living room, and beyond this what the Holloway family uses as their TV/playroom. It is close to the downstairs bathroom - well located should a fourth bedroom be required.

Upstairs are three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

One serves the lovely master bedroom as an en suite while the other is largely the girls' domain. The master bedroom suite is a haven of peace, apart from being a well-laid-out parent's retreat. "Everything about this house just works for family living," Claire says.

"It's comfortable, easy to heat and cool, there's lots of space inside and out and the way it links to the decks and gardens is so user-friendly."

However, Michael and Claire are moving on. Michael's father in Britain is elderly and they want to be able to visit him more frequently. Michael says: "We can always get another house and we'll certainly be looking in this neighbourhood, but if the girls are to ever know their grandfather, now is the time."