Takapuna: Boats and bonfires

Having Takapuna Beach for your front yard makes for wonderful childhood memories.

7 Rarere Road, Takapuna.

As a youngster, John learned to swim in the sea off his front yard and to surf, windsurf and sail - and put out unplanned bonfires on Guy Fawkes nights.

His front yard was Takapuna Beach, accessed through a gate at the bottom of an expanse of lawn in front of his parents' home. John was 5 years old when his parents moved there with his brother Mike and sister Jacqueline, and John finally moved out at 22 only because he thought he was a bit old to still be living at home.

His parents remained at the house until they died - John's father passed away three years ago, and his mother followed two years later to the day. John and his siblings are now selling their family home, a 1940s treasure on a generous 1480sq m section.

"I have visions of my brother's P class catamaran on the lawn after a day's regatta, and of other yachts and windsurfers and surfboards lying everywhere.

"On Guy Fawkes nights there were fires all the way down the beach. There used to be toi toi all along the front of the houses, and every year they'd catch fire. We started hosing them down before people set off their fireworks," laughs John.

At the end of a long driveway, and with houses behind it, this house is sheltered from the predominant southwest winds.

"Now and then we get a howling nor' easter and it belts the windows, and that's really quite fun, I enjoy it," says John. "After a storm we might get glassy waves rolling in and there are surfers everywhere. The sea is ever-changing and there's always something to watch. Even the sand is always shifting."

The house was built long across the section so that all the main rooms look out to that classic North Shore view. On the ground floor is the kitchen, dining and living room, which flows through to a den that can be separated from the main living space by sliding doors. Floor-to-ceiling wood panelling on most of the walls is a distinctive feature.

This is repeated in the staircase, which has a banister a little like the bent branches of the pohutukawa outside.

"It was great for sliding down," grins John.

Half way up is a doorway allowing access to a flat above the garage; at the top are three bedrooms, each soaking up the sun and the view. The master has a dressing room and en suite which, considering they were added in the 1970s, are ahead of their time. A doorway from the master bedroom allows access to the upper terrace.

But it was the lower terrace where John recalls many social gatherings as the sun went down.

John's brother Mike remembers the sense of community among people who regularly walked themselves and their dogs up and down the beach.

"Our parents walked every day and swam every day in summer," recalls Mike.

The family had a dog, Jess, who Jacqueline says "owned" the beach.

"When they tightened the laws the dog catcher got to know her so well that he'd deliver her home and she'd jump out of the truck as happy as Larry, tail wagging like mad," says Jacqueline.

The siblings' parents initially also owned the property to the left of the house as you look out to sea, and when they sold it placed covenants upon the land to prevent future owners from building too far forward and blocking the view from No. 7. John is aware that the buyer of his parents' home may want to demolish it to build a new house, or a developer may want to realise the potential of such a large site. He's had visuals drawn up to show how a single, three-level dwelling could sit beautifully on the land. He quietly hopes that whatever becomes of his old home will be tasteful, and in keeping with the beach lifestyle he loved while growing up.

Vital Statisics

BEDROOMS: 4

BATHROOMS: 2

GARAGE: 2

SIZE: Land 1480sq m, house 290sq m.

PRICE: Upwards of $6 million.

INSPECT: By appointment.

CONTACT: Nicola Whitley or Victoria Bidwell, Bayleys, ph Nicola 021 280 5984, Victoria 021 947 080.

FEATURES: Two-level 1940s home on Takapuna beachfront with unobstructed views. Separate flat above garage. Oil heater fire in lounge, den can be closed off from lounge, separate dining room. Terraces and large lawn with gate access to beach.