KEY POINTS:
The plague of real-estate TV programmes has made going on about "location, location, location" something of a turn-off. But from the moment you come off the winding track from Lone Kauri Rd to Equinox Lodge the phrase does force itself into mind.
The view that opens up across the bush to Karekare Beach below stops you in your tracks, and it's not as if we are short of such vistas in New Zealand.
The house is perched on a ridge and the appeal of just sitting and gazing out to sea - accompanied by an appropriate glass of something - has an hypnotic allure. And relaxation and retreat is the keynote here, as owner Tracey Schubert is keen to emphasise.
Her background is in psychological healing and that is reflected in the atmosphere of this oasis of calm which borders an unspoilt swathe of Auckland Centennial Memorial Regional Park land, which Schubert has enlarged with a gift of some of her own land. But at 4ha the remaining site is more than big enough to convey a feeling of seclusion.
It's not monastic austerity though, with a kitchen garden and chooks and a couple of cats with distinct personalities wandering about. But the most distinct personality here is that of Schubert, and Equinox Lodge is the realisation of a long-cherished dream.
She first saw the land in 1982 and then spent three years negotiating to buy it, a tricky ask as she was then an almost penniless student. The banks, not surprisingly, wouldn't help and she took a loan at thunderous interest rates, working at four jobs in the first year just to meet the repayments.
When she started living at the site it was in a caravan with a long drop.
But the dream remained and in the meantime she started accumulating an extraordinary collection of art-deco-themed furniture and fittings, along with wonderful flooring timber.
After 20 years she was able to build the art-deco-inspired house to accommodate her collection and the result is a spectacular two-storey home for which the word unique is not, for once, used inappropriately. The most characteristic feature is the use of mosaics and spectacular stained glass, created by Tracey herself.
There is a choice of three guest rooms. Ours was the Green Room and entering was like stepping into the set of an Agatha Christie movie. We would not have been surprised to find Poirot exercising his grey cells on the patio. Through the French doors we were able to step straight on to the terrace and look across the 15m lap pool, cleverly sited along the front of the house.
Through a pleasant little sitting room was the spectacular red room where the vibrant coloured glass creates an air of exoticism, popular, we were told and it was easy to believe it, with honeymooners. If total privacy is required, guests can have exclusive use of the downstairs storey with single-party bookings.
We had chosen to self-cater and the green room has a little kitchen area perfectly adequate for the weekender. If your idea of relaxation is to do no catering at all Schubert will cook by negotiation although she provides only vegetarian or fish dishes, using organic produce from the garden where possible with the breakfast eggs coming from the resident chooks.
We can't speak for the catering but we can speak for the warmth of the welcome as Schubert shares her enthusiasms. These include an impromptu evening serenade from her developing piano skills - wholly appropriate given the Karekare Beach backdrop, although the repertoire did not, as far as I can tell, include Michael Nyman.
Lovely though it is to sit and just look at the view, most weekends require a little more filling. On site there is a petanque court and a spectacularly sited spa pool, and in the evening you can move into the home theatre behind the guests' rooms where the temptation is almost irresistible to watch Jane Campion's finest.
It would be unthinkable to just look at Karekare from on high and after a 10-minute drive we went on a long and quite beautiful late afternoon walk along the beach. One of my more memorable visits here was for a family wedding - it's still a favoured spot for such occasions and there's a passing parade of finely dressed folk to provide some local colour.
The problem, as with other West Coast beaches, is knowing when to stop walking and head for home. It's a great riding beach, too, and Schubert has her own horses or can arrange excursions from a local stable. It's not too far if you want a golf course, and if you want a busier beach scene, Piha is just over the hill. And there are bush walks by the score through the Waitakeres. On our weekend we found looking at the hills spiritually refreshing enough.
* Further information
Equinox Lodge is on Lone Kauri Rd, Karekare, in Waitakere City. See www.equinoxlodge.com or ring (09) 812 8078.
