Quiet contemplation in Remuera

12-14 Eastbourne Rd, Remuera. Photo / Geoff Dale

12-14 EASTBOURNE RD REMUERA

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SIZE: Land 1406sq m, house 533sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: CV $6.51 million. Expressions of interest closing 4pm Thursday, November 11 (unless sold prior).

INSPECT: By appointment only.

ON THE WEB: www.bayleys.co.nz/4100864

SCHOOL ZONES: Remuera Primary, Remuera Intermediate, Auckland Grammar and Epsom Girls' Grammar.

CONTACT: Gary Wallace, ph 309 6020 or 0274 988 585, Vicki Wallace 375 6835 or 021 988 585, Bayleys.

FEATURES: Palatial Lawrence Sumich-designed plantation-style home on a large double site. Views to Rangitoto Island and beyond; swimming pool; level, manicured grounds and covered outdoor living.

Ground can't get much more hallowed than the sunny and exclusive slopes of the city side of the Remuera ridge. On these blessed acres, views stretch forever, desirable schools, public and private, are within walking distance and the northerly orientation helps with the worst the Auckland climate can throw at you.

However, even in this exclusive neighbourhood, the Lawrence Sumich-designed plantation-style house that Joanne and Garry Heynen have called home for the past few years is unusual.

With the luxury of being built over two freehold sites, the 1406sq m of land allows for a lawn as flat and green as a billiard table, an in-ground pool, water features with sculptures and a vege patch in raised beds, all of which give what is undeniably a large and imposing structure, room to breathe.

But perhaps what makes this house so particularly special is what Joanne is happy to describe as "its lack of ostentation. It just sits here quietly behind the walls ... it's very unassuming, but once you get inside you discover how comfortable it is". Every detail has been thought out, from small things like storage for weights by the gym, to the bigger ones that are in use every day. Chief among these is the well-designed flow from the living rooms and master bedrooms to the wide covered loggia that links the interior of the house to the outside. So well-conceived is this that despite the size of the indoor spaces, it acts as a series of extra rooms that extend the living rooms along the front of the house throughout the year. Here, motorised louvres control sunlight, dark-stained sliding cedar shutters provide privacy, and the outdoor fireplace and gas heating warms. "We spend most of our time out here," remarks Joanne, "and in the morning Garry and I love to sit on the little bit just outside our bedroom.

"It's a lovely place to start the day over a coffee and the newspapers."

Between the master bedroom and the open-plan kitchen, dining and casual living space, a large room that the Heynens use as a media room also leads out on to the loggia. This could just as well be a formal living or dining room, but Garry had it equipped with a range of electronic toys including a wide screen, hidden behind more dark-stained joinery, for cosy evenings tucked up on the sofa with a glass of wine and a good movie.

Although Joanne and Garry agree, with a laugh, that the previous owners did all the hard work, they also added a few personal touches of their own. Alongside the large master bedroom suite they installed a walk-in wardrobe for Garry so that Joanne could commandeer the other wardrobe. Downstairs, they installed a climate-controlled wine store. This is tucked quietly off to one side of the children's living room - a space that is just as large and light as the level above. Around this centrally located lounging space are three large bedrooms, all with their own bathrooms and private terraces, a fourth bedroom that Joanne uses as her office, and the utility areas. Alongside them a discreet door leads to three-car carpeted garaging, a basement gym and lots of outdoor space to park a boat or extra cars.

The extra car parking space is no longer needed - two out of the three Heynen children have flown the coop and the third will be off to university next year - and Joanne and Garry admit to finding themselves rattling around a bit in such a big home.

As Joanne puts it: "We love it for all the good things that a beautifully built house like this has, but it really is too big for us now. We are ready to downsize and we'll be looking for something similar but just not as big."