SCHOOL ZONES:
Whangaparaoa School, Whangaparaoa College.
CONTACT:
Sue Donoghue, Bayleys, 021 783 366.
AUCTION:
Feb 25.
Lyn and Neil Laurenson didn't know they were searching for a new home until they found one. The former Auckland city dwellers were spending a long weekend at their Waiwera holiday apartment six years ago, when they opened their Herald Homes and there it was.
Technically, it was the viewthey saw first.
It was a photo taken from the living room of a home at Arkles Bay, on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. Bifold windows and glass sliders opened to a jawdropping outlook across the broad Wade River to Stillwater and Long Bay.
"This would be a great retirement home," Lyn said to Neil.
On inspecting the property, set high on a bush-clad hill, they realised there was more to the view than could fit in your average camera lens. It swept from Motutapu and Rangitoto, past the rolling hills of the Long Bay Regional Park -- with the Sky Tower and city visible in the distance -- to the countryside and bush of Stillwater. In the foreground lay the wide stretch of the tidal Weiti Rivermouth, which narrowed as it snaked inland. It was all turquoise sea, green hills, hazy islands and a big blue sky, with the odd fringe of pale sand.
They discovered just how far the view stretched only after moving in, when one day they spotted smoke rising from a suburb on the horizon. It was a fire at Glendowie School, in the eastern bays.
Image 1 of 10: Drink in the views at this beautifully situated property. Photos / Fiona Goodall, Getty Images
"We walked in and said, 'We want this'," recalls Lyn. "We just fell in love with it."
The house, which was nearly new, had everything they wanted -- peace, views, room for guests, and a choice of indoor and outdoor living spaces. It had an open-plan living area at entrance level, with the kitchen, sitting room and lounge all configured to take advantage of the view.
A dining nook had bifolds on three sides, giving the illusion of al fresco dining. Or, for the real thing, they could step outside through sliding doors to the deck, sheltered courtyard, or the cosy fire pit.
Upstairs were a mezzanine reading area, two bathrooms, and three bedrooms with amazing views. Even the master en suite had a dazzling vista. The couple who'd built the house in 2004 had also factored in a multi-purpose room upstairs with external access and its own deck, which they used as an art studio.
Lyn and Neil hurriedly brought forward their retirement plans and bought the property. They used it as a weekender for three years before making the move permanent. Though Neil has only officially retired this week, after commuting to Ponsonby for a few years, they've enjoyed the laidback coastal lifestyle.
They live a quiet life consisting of walking and swimming at their local beach or further afield at Stanmore Bay, Manly or Red Beach, enjoying "magnificent" sunsets from their deck, and watching cruise ships slink past Rangitoto and native birds swoop and dive through the trees.
After six happy years, they are moving to Tauranga, though Lyn laments that they'll miss their outlook, and the "lovely" friends they've made in the tight-knit neighbourhood. "We're extremely lucky. We'll never get another view like this, I'm sure, and it's a lovely, easy house to live in. We will be sorry to leave but it's time to move on."
