"They always liked to be out of the city. We lived in Karaka before, and Waipu being a small town by the beach appealed to them. Before we owned this house on the hill, we owned the local takeaways and lived in the property behind it."
The family's large brick home at Seamore Rise sits across from the estuary and beach.
"It is a big piece of land and from the top you can see 180-degree views of the sea and then behind you also have the view of the Brynderwyns -- the rolling hills and the farms," says Bonnie. Views stretch from Mt Manaia to Whangarei, Marsden Point, Ruakaka, Waipu estuary and cove.
"I think because it is mum and dad's first house they built, they went in with an open mind and they wanted to capture what is the most valuable thing about the land, and that is the view."
Her parents chose Owen McKenzie, an architect from Milford, recommended by a close family friend, to design the house.
"He came up to view the property and worked with us to make the house perfect," says Bonnie.
"The house is brick, which to my parents is the strongest material that will stand being in the wind on the top of the hill and be warm. The windows and sliding doors give the house that open feeling.
"Even though you are in a house, you have the feeling of the view almost in every room. It is one storey but long. They wanted something that would fit well with the land, not just be a house on the top of the hill."
43 Seamore Rise, Waipu. Photo / supplied
The house encompasses three areas. The middle area has two living rooms, the kitchen and the dining room. To the left is the wing with Bonnie and her brothers' bedrooms and a lounge where the younger family members would watch movies and hang out. There are two bathrooms and four bedrooms in this wing.
To the right of the living area is "mum and dad's area" with the master bedroom, wardrobe and bathroom, a spare bedroom en suite and the three car garage.
Most rooms have access to the outside tiled areas through ranch slider doors.
"In my bedroom, as soon as I woke up I would open the curtains and I had the full view in front," says Bonnie.
"But our kitchen is probably one of my favourite areas. We have the granite benchtops with the island in the middle. My parents like to cook and they wanted a spacious kitchen. We have fitted it with the big Smeg gas stove top and oven and big fridge. You can have more than two people working at once."
Bonnie's parents have now sold the takeaway business that kept them busy seven days a week.
"Dad has been enjoying having the land, having more time," says Bonnie. "They have a few cows on the land and he has been looking after them and maintaining the place.
"Mum really likes the small town and going to the shops. It is relaxing for them."
But Michael and Shu Ming have come to the decision that the house is too big for just the two of them and also they want to move to Auckland to be closer to their adult children who work and go to university in the city.
Bonnie says: "I think growing up in Waipu and being close to nature was nice for all of us. Even little things like going to the beach after school or at weekends and being able to get involved in the surf or the rugby clubs gives you that kind of community feeling that is good for a family."
