Despite the privacy and the stands of kauri trees you can see from the bedroom window, often complete with morepork, Liz Pugliatti's house is only minutes from the Albany shops and the motorways to Auckland.
It's like being in an expansive treehouse, yet it's high off the main road and gets all-day sun.
Liz, an Englishwoman who moved to New Zealand with her Italian husband Luciano and their cats, hadn't been that optimistic after serious house-hunting eight years ago.
She came before Luciano, who works for an international organisation.
"I was met at the airport at seven in the morning by an estate agent and I had a list of things and we just got nowhere for 14 days.
"I wanted to have a lot of walls because we brought 140 pictures, 1400 books and a lot of other things with us, but it had to be safe for the cats, it had to be unusual and with character, and it had to be a road off a road off a road."
The agent had one more house to show and when this architectural gem was put before Liz, now in her 70s, the reaction was instant: "As soon as I saw it I said 'that's the one'.
"I didn't make an offer, I just said 'I'll have it unconditionally'. Wherever you are, you see something beautiful."
She was sold on the intriguing curved brickwork against the sloping architectural lines; the wooden cathedral ceilings; the landscaped patio with the pool where Luciano had an outdoor pizza oven built; the greenery from every window; the glimpses of Lucas Creek and the sea -- Liz's list of what she loves is endless.
Image 1 of 8: Around every corner you see the unusual. Photos / David Rowland, Getty Images
The property comes with not only an additional two-bedroom self-contained minor dwelling but a garage/studio, which Liz says could be converted into further accommodation.
A Korean artist used this for his studio and the property boasts a colourful past, she says.
"This guy had a lot of family here and they were Buddhists so they had a lot of prayer rooms and they had visiting monks and stuff and he also made jewellery as well as paintings."
The kitchen in the main house is roomy enough for several people to cook without getting in each other's way and the fridge and pantry are tucked away in one of the curved brick alcoves, which are featured throughout the house.
On this level, the master bedroom is separated from the main living areas by a small hallway and has its own full bathroom plus access to the landscaped patio and pool area one way and a view to the native bush the other.
The dining room steps down to a lounge that also has one of the round brick alcoves "which you see from the other side and you think 'what happens next?'"
Upstairs features a bridge that looks down into the kitchen and two more bedrooms, one of which has one of the alcoves which could be an office, dressing room or walk-in wardrobe.
The fireplace down below heats not just the house but "the whole of Albany", Liz jokes. She and Luciano had planned to stay forever, but Luciano has been recalled to Europe.
