All the bells and whistles
Floor-to-ceiling windows and ranch sliders let you enjoy a new picture every day, writes Leigh Bramwell
It would be fair to say Bob and Shona Farrell’s attempt at downsizing their family home was a bit of a failure. They were living in a four-bedroom house on a few acres, their three children had flown the nest, and they wanted a smaller, more manageable property somewhere in or around Whangarei.
“We’re Whangarei people, always have been, and we wanted to stay local,” Bob says.
During their search they stumbled upon a property right on the water at Ngunguru, a quiet waterside settlement about 20 minutes from the city.
“We walked up the stairs, saw the 180-degree view of the estuary and were sold.” That the house had more bedrooms and bathrooms than their previous home and was quite a lot larger didn’t deter them for a moment. It was only three years old and had been a “no expense spared” build for a man who had moved an existing house off the property to create the perfect holiday home.
“He built this with all the whistles and bells — it even has electric skylights,” Bob says.
It had barely been used when Bob and Shona moved in, so there was little to do. They did a bit of painting, finished the gardens, and sat back to enjoy their “mansion”.
The house has its living space on the second level to capture the best views of the Ngunguru River and Sandspit, and its floor-to-ceiling windows and ranch sliders take full advantage. 1965 NGUNGURU RD, NGUNGURU SIZE (more or less):
PRICE GUIDE:
AUCTION: INSPECT:
SCHOOLS: CONTACT: ON THE WEB:
Timber floors and timber sarked ceilings throughout the open-plan living area give the big spaces a warm glow, and Shona loves to spend time in the modern kitchen, baking and looking at the view.
Bob jokes that the distraction of the water can be blamed for some things getting burned.
Shona doesn’t admit to the burning, but agrees that the vista from the kitchen is “like having an artist’s easel with a new picture on it every day”.
Off the living area is a covered deck with a pitched, timber-sarked ceiling and glass balustrade that provides the perfect outdoor living space.
“We have breakfast out here and it feels like we’re right on the water,” Shona says. “There are boats and kayaks and people relaxing, and dolphins swimming past.”
The ringing of the local school’s 100-year-old dolphin bell alerts anyone who happens not to be looking when dolphins approach.
The ground floor of the house contains the bedrooms, all with tiled floors.
Ngunguru village is nearby and Bob and Shona love it. “It’s like somewhere out of the past. The kids around here go to school in bare feet and they always smile and say hello. It’s a friendly, caring community, an escape haven and a nice place to rest.”
Bob likes the fact that the population is just a few hundred people of mixed ages, and that there’s plenty to do — golf, tennis, bowls, boating trips to Poor Knights Islands, or just throwing a fishing line into the water from the letter box.
Children and grandchildren in Melbourne and elsewhere around New Zealand are driving the move for Bob and Shona. They are often away and have decided it’s now time to downsize properly, although Shona says she had to “talk very hard” to get Bob to agree to sell.
They’ve always lived in and around Whangarei — Bob was born not far from Ngunguru, near Hikurangi. “We haven’t come very far and we’re not going very far this time either.” They’re having a new house built in a retirement village but this isn’t the end of their beachfront lifestyle.
“We have a 70s bach with sea views that we’ve renovated,” Shona says, “so that’s our bolthole when we need a bit of beach time.”