Moturoa setting enjoys port views
Life at 17 Skinner St in New Plymouth has been so appealing for Delwyn that she has provided for a future return, unless a buyer takes that option away.
Skinner St is a quiet cul-de-sac off South Rd where most properties enjoy their elevated views over Moturoa and Port Taranaki. That’s obvious on arrival at number 17 with a view from the street down the side driveway to the port’s Lee Breakwater and the sea beyond.
The view had special appeal for Delwyn when she bought this property several years ago, moving in from Bell Block and looking for a home close to work on this side of the city. ‘‘I love the port, fishing, and the walkway,’’ she explains. ‘‘So it’s got everything.’’
You reach all that with an easy walk down nearby Bayly Rd and Delwyn has made the most of the proximity during her summers here. ‘‘In the afternoon, after work, I can go down to Ngamotu Beach for a refreshing swim and then come home for a barbecue.’’
The 1960s brick home promised a lowmaintenance lifestyle and enjoyed a sunny northerly orientation with living areas located away from the road to embrace those port and sea views.
It’s understandable that the package of home, location and outlook would appeal to many; Delwyn faced serious multi-offer competition for the house and was relieved when her offer was accepted.
Appealing as it was, Delwyn refined and improved this home and property. She turned the internal garage into a third bedroom and compensated for that change by developing two off-street car parks, landscaping the street frontage and creating a garden and deck inside a trellis fence where she could enjoy a morning coffee in the sun.
That work also shaped a pleasing welcome for visitors to the frosted-glass front door. Step inside, and you find a home that has been redecorated throughout to present a light-filled, relaxing environment.
The wide central hallway leads past the new bedroom, which is the master; the two guest bedrooms; and a smartly refurbished bathroom with a large, level-entry, glassfronted shower. French doors in the master bedroom open to the morning deck.
Boldly patterned wallpaper makes a statement along one wall of the hallway and on the wall behind the bed in the master. In contrast, walls in the rest of the home are painted either white or a pale sea green, and charcoal-coloured carpet runs underfoot.
The hallway leads directly to the openplan kitchen-dining-lounge area where the windows frame those coastal views either side of a neighbouring home. Rising into the sky at left are the towering pencil shape of the former power-station chimney and the rocky peak of Paritutu. To the right is a shimmering sea view, bisected by the horizontal line of the Lee Breakwater.
You can gain an alfresco appreciation of the view from the terrace that runs along this face of the house and from the new timber deck below.
Delwyn loves the outlook for more than the sea view. ‘‘You can see the port lights and cranes working, boats coming and going . . . there’s always something happening. And a telescope brings it all up close.’’
It’s easy to relax up here and soak up this setting, and it also reveals how good the conditions down on the water might be. Delwyn’s love of the outdoors would often draw her down to the beach for a paddle in her kayak, or prompt her to launch her boat and head for the nearest fishing spot. A bike ride along the walkway is another regular activity.
The views are also enjoyed from the new kitchen, where the cabinet finishes are a pleasing mix of white panels and dark wood, and benches are topped with an attractively flecked white stone.
Delwyn planned for an extended future here by subdividing the property, creating a second title on the generous sea-facing lawn for a small two-storey home that would maintain most of the original home’s views. The concrete drive laid along the side of the house to provide a parking space for her boat would become the access through to the new development.
That project came to a halt when she took up an opportunity to work in the outdoors-focused Kaikoura district. And that’s prompted this sale of the property, with options.
TSB Realty consultants Sally Cairns and Dianne Douds are marketing the property and explain that one option is to buy the existing home on its own title, leaving the subdivided remainder for Delwyn to possibly return to and build on in the future. Option two is to buy both the home and the new section and control what happens here. Either option will be appealing in this sought-after Skinner St location. Each will still come with views of the port area, the proximity to Moturoa shopping, cafe and restaurant meals at the port, and the Coastal Walkway access to the city.