SCHOOL ZONES:
Stanley Bay School, Belmont Intermediate, Takapuna Grammar.
CONTACT:
Victoria Bidwell, Bayleys, 021 947 080 or 487 0735.
AUCTION:
Dec 8 at 1.30pm
The first thing Greg and Jackie Young had to do, after deciding to buy their Stanley Point home 15 years ago, was actually take a proper look at the house.
The couple had made the decision to buy moments after arriving at the property, which is on the water's edge looking north across Ngataringa Bay to Bayswater.
"We walked straight in the front door, through the house and out the back, and when we saw the water at the end of the garden and heard the tui singing, that was it, we wanted it," says Greg.
"Then we thought we had better go inside and check out the house."
He suspects that even if the house had been unsuitable, they'd have bought it anyway, given how special the site was. But as it turned out, the heritage home is one of Stanley Point's landmark properties.
It's a large, gracious family home, complete with a turret, that was built between 1908 and 1912 for Alfred Spencer. He was a member of the wealthy Spencer family, who own large chunks of land in Auckland, including on Waiheke Island.
The house is a mix of styles, says Jackie.
"There's a lot of Victorian and Edwardian features, but also quite a lot of Arts and Crafts. I like the fact that it feels unusual."
And although it may be elegant, with grand proportions, the house does not have any airs and graces.
"It's a very comfortable house to live in, it's not precious," Jackie says, "It feels like home." The Youngs are the sixth family to have owned the house and they're thankful previous owners kept the original period features, such as the original fireplaces, beamed ceilings and leadlight windows. They didn't feel the need to carry out any renovations. "It has so much character, we didn't want to tinker with it," says Jackie.
But they have kept it well maintained and done a few cosmetic things, such as putting a glass roof over the deck, painting and replacing cracked glass in the windows. They've also installed gas central heating.
The welcoming entrance lobby, with its stained-glass windows depicting Stanley Point, staircase with striking curved balustrade and warm wooden floors set the tone for the rest of the house.
Image 1 of 10: 17 Second Ave, Stanley Point, Auckland. Photo/Ted Baghurst.
The formal living room is extremely spacious, with a gas fire and bay window, and the formal dining room also has a stunning decorative carved fireplace and built-in Arts and Crafts cupboards.
"We've used this room as a dining room in the past - it's a very flexible house," says Jackie.
The kitchen is also roomy, with a large oven, granite bench tops and plenty of storage and bench space. Alongside it is a sunroom that runs the width of the house and at one end is used as an informal dining area.
A laundry/utility cupboard with a separate toilet is off the sunroom and has a door out to the garden.
Two sets of bifold windows and one set of french doors open up the back of the house to the generous covered deck, which is used almost year round.
"We spend a lot of time out here," says Greg. "It's so sunny because it is north-facing, but also so peaceful. It's hard to believe you are so close to the city."
The large garden has been wonderful for the couple's daughters Grace and Geneva to play in, and steps lead from it down to a wooden jetty. It's the perfect place to go swimming from at high tide, or keep a kayak or dinghy.
Back in the house, the view of the water can be enjoyed from two of the bedrooms on the first floor, and a spacious covered veranda that can be accessed from both rooms.
There are three bedrooms on this level, plus an en suite off the master bedroom and a family bathroom with an original freestanding tub and french doors out to another veranda, this time at the front of the house.
What looks like a cupboard door hides a staircase up to the next level, where there are two more bedrooms and access to the generous attic storage room.
And there's also one final staircase, this one leading up to the turret, which has 360-degree views and a built-in day bed.
"This is ideal for reading, for napping, for meditating ... you name it," says Jackie. "Children absolutely love it - Grace used to have it as a playroom. And it is usually nice and warm - Greg used to grow his chilli peppers in a pot up here."
The ferry from Stanley Bay to the city is just a few minutes' walk away and it's only a couple of minutes by car to Devonport.
Despite loving the location, the Youngs have decided it's time for a change of lifestyle, and have bought a property in the country.
That's something the pair, who lived in Hong Kong before Auckland, always planned to do after 10 years in the Stanley Point house. "But it has taken us five years to finally be able to put it on the market," says Jackie. "It is going to be very sad to leave."
