Gail says the interior wasn't quite up to scratch when they moved in but they have knocked down a wall separating the kitchen from the lounge and she says now the room is light and airy, even on the dullest day.
The kitchen also now has a bay-style window above the sink and a large island benchtop.
"It's unbelievable the difference removing that wall made," Gail says. "It made the room so small -- the kitchen was tiny, you couldn't move around. So to have this nice, big working area makes a huge difference."
They also laid new wooden floors of Tasmanian oak, extended the laundry, put in new carpet in the sleeping quarters, added new wardrobes with shelving and drawers and redid the bathrooms.
At the time the house met all the couple's requirements, says Gail, apart from the interior needing work. "It ticked all the boxes. The proximity to a number of good schools was important at the time, too.
"The flow of the house was right so that was a good start. The orientation of the house was right and the fact that it's got storage and a double garage downstairs worked for Miles," she says.
Miles has taken over the double garage under the house as his man cave and spends a lot of time there -- he even built a boat.
Gail thinks this space -- which is level with the backyard -- could be developed into more bedrooms, a granny flat or home and income.
The couple had also considered extending the deck, which looks down over the backyard and is north-facing so gets plenty of sun.
The couple are looking for just the right spot to build on Waiheke.
When they arrived from South Africa in 2005 they took the ferry over to the island, had fish and chips on the beach and were smitten. Though they came back to Auckland they have been drawn over there many times since.
"Each time we go we just love it more and more. The beaches -- they were amazing. It's so interesting and diverse so we just decided that's probably where we want to be, that's where we finally have to settle."
Both Gail and Miles say they have loved living here, though.
"We love Mairangi Bay," says Gail. "There's so much in favour of living here, you know, the convenience of it, the walks, the proximity to the beach and the village."
Miles says he will miss the bird life in the garden -- tui, kingfishers, wood pigeons and fantails -- and that he will especially miss those long coastal walks.
