SCHOOL ZONES:
Ponsonby Primary, Ponsonby Intermediate, Auckland Girls’ Grammar School.
CONTACT:
Chris Batchelor, Bayleys, 021 217 7026.
AUCTION:
November 9 (unless sold prior).
In a three-bedroom townhouse that sprawls over four levels, business owners Brian and Christine Barnett found their absolute dream home.
"We'd sold the big family property up at Albany and wondered what living in the city might be like," says Christine.
An agent showed the couple several properties and they were considering renting one in nearby Curran St to try out this potential change of lifestyle without committing but, then, both were drawn to their current house at first sight.
Christine says that she woke during the following night and couldn't get London St out of her mind. When she nudged Brian, it turned out that he was awake, too, thinking exactly the same thing.
Over a period of 16 years the pair have completely refurbished the house and the result is that of a new-build, within a smart, durable, late-1980s shell.
"We've actually done the kitchen twice since we've lived here," says Christine. "When we moved in it was all black and that absolutely had to go."
The kitchen lies on the ground level of the house, above the internally accessed basement double garage, separate laundry, wine cellar and a large, newly developed space that could be used as a home office.
Also on the ground level is the main entranceway, the cosy and comfortable main living space with gas fire, plus a powder room, dining area and access to the peaceful, private paved patio to the rear.
Its ultra-tall surrounding walls are covered in greenery, and just around the corner is a perfectly concealed pull-out clothesline.
Image 1 of 5: There is no shortage of space in this sprawling townhouse. Photos / Ted Baghurst
On the second level of the house is a double bedroom currently being used as an office, the elegant and spacious main bathroom with tiled walls and the master suite, which boasts spectacular views of the Waitemata Harbour, the bridge, and the North Shore. It's up high enough for Brian and Christine to lie in bed with the curtains open and watch their lively surroundings playing out, night or day.
On the third level -- or fourth if you count the basement -- is yet another living area, along with a double bedroom and bathroom.
The couple retreat here on a Sunday afternoon because the views are even more spectacular than those below, if that's indeed possible, and they sit for hours watching traffic snaking over the bridge, boats setting out towards distant horizons and the general comings and goings in Auckland's heart.
"We're totally spoilt when there are fireworks over the harbour," says Christine. "We have the very best bird's-eye view."
They say that living in St Marys Bay has been an absolute pleasure.
They want for nothing, yet barely have to use their cars. "If we go out to dinner, it is almost always by foot to Ponsonby Rd or Jervois Rd and there are new restaurants popping up all the time," says Brian.
Groceries are bought at New World on College Hill and the newly refurbished Victoria Park Market and nearby Silo Park are also popular destinations.
They describe their neighbours as being really lovely people and add that the street itself has a very strong sense of community.
While they'll be keeping their business in Auckland, the Barnetts are on the move to Queenstown where they plan to live permanently in a house they built 10 years ago.
Instead of having harbour bridge views, they'll be looking at Coronet Peak, they say.
Christine says, "We've had a wonderful 16 years living here but going down south to be near to our daughter, her husband and their three children is too attractive a prospect to resist."
