Eighteen years ago, it took a bit of imagination for Sally and Win Nelson to figure out what the next phase of their life would look like.
They'd decided to sell their family home in Papatoetoe, where they had lived for 30 years and raised three children, but beyond that they were open to ideas.
On a suggestion from their son, they drove up a new cul-de-sac in the hills behind Orewa.
The tar on the road was barely dry, and the new subdivision comprised of little more than bare land and survey pegs.
They stopped at the future site of number 99 Waldorf Crescent.
There wasn't much to see, of course, though it seemed promising. It was a quarter acre of flat, sloping land, set back from the road, and nestled against a hill that would provide shelter from southerlies.
Orewa's shops and long stretch of beach were a few minutes away by car, another dozen beaches were only a little further afield, and the Auckland CBD was just 25 minutes away, off peak.
The one thing they didn't need imagination for was the view -- a grandstand sweep to the east down to Orewa and across the ocean to the Coromandel, with a peep of Great Barrier on a clear day.
And with a view like that, the house pretty much designed itself to suit.
With the help of Cranston Homes, they chose a two-level, three-bedroom brick-and-cedar design that would allow them to enjoy the views from their open-plan living room and kitchen downstairs, and private master suite upstairs.
They opened the living room to the outdoors on three sides, to a north-east facing deck, garden and lawn, and a smaller, sheltered west-facing courtyard, and built a gazebo on the sloping land further up the hill.
And Win, a retired aircraft engineer, insisted on an extra-large double garage that would accommodate a spacious workshop.
"He has so much stuff," says Sally.
Image 1 of 9: This brick-and-cedar home, nestled in the hills, is the perfect base for a coastal lifestyle
With an additional parking area for their boat, they were all set to enjoy their new coastal life.
And they have, with walks and swims at the beach, grandchildren's sports games to watch, boating adventures, and a few (hundred) rounds of golf.
Orewa's population has grown by more than a third since Win and Sally moved there, the new suburb of Millwater has sprung up next to it, and the former village of Silverdale has become a shopping hub.
"When we first came here, Orewa was a sleepy little town, but now there are so many young families," says Sally. "It's lovely."
As the years passed, the boat park became a campervan park, and Win and Sally started to explore New Zealand in it, as well as travelling overseas.
All that tripping around has inspired them to enter another phase of life.
They've decided to downsize to Cambridge, where their daughter lives, so they can spend more time travelling. "We'll be sorry to leave," says Sally.
"We've loved living here, but the time has come for new ventures."
