Feeling free in busy city
Located up a long driveway and surrounded by bush, this home has plenty to like,
Ronnie Richardson had one pretty clear guideline when she moved from the family farm on the west coast, near Raglan, 14 years ago. “I grew up in Mairangi Bay, but after the farm I just didn’t want the feeling of houses on top of me,” she says. “You walk up the top of this driveway, and you wouldn’t know you’re in the city.”
The multi-level cedar home she found fit the bill perfectly. Tucked up a long driveway, it is surrounded by bush, including a spectacular grove of mature nikau and even a kauri. The elevated house is only one section back from the beach, so looks over the rooftops of houses on the Esplanade straight to the sea and Rangitoto — you can even hear the sea. A walkway beside the drive gives Ronnie direct access to the beach, without needing to use the road. It’s also a quick walk around the corner to the shops and cafes.
At the time she moved, the four children were teenagers, so the house was the perfect set up for a family. Now scattered around the world, and New Zealand, they use their mum’s house as a holiday base — the family from Waikato particularly love the combination of beachside with the city at their doorstep.
At the lower ground floor, a tiled room beside the double garage made a great rumpus room for kids, and now grandkids. It was formerly a workshop, so is equipped with plenty of power points if new owners wanted to convert it back. A charming guest room sits atop the pole-house style carport, opening off the entrance stairs to the first floor main house with tree-top glimpses.
The house has dramatic split level entryway that leads to the living floor and upstairs to bedrooms and bathrooms. Ronnie doesn’t know the architect’s name, but there are similar cool 1970s houses all along this strip of View Road. The living floor has stairs and angles that open up to enticing glimpses of the sea, but it is the kitchen and family room that get the full brunt of sun and views. When she’s on her own, Ronnie favours settling into the family room off the kitchen, where doors open to a deck tucked under the pohutukawas.
The kitchen layout was well designed, so all Ronnie needed to do was update the cabinets with a new soft sage paint scheme and add quartz counter tops. She laughs that her late husband Robert would be proud to see that she has finally used a pair of deep bowl stainless steel sinks that had been carried from shed to shed for decades.
Wood floors were original to the house, as was the bagged brick walls of the formal living room and the soaring pine ceilings. There the wood stove does good duty in the winter. Remarkably, the cool mid-century vibe of the house is a good backdrop to the antiques the couple inherited from Robert’s English family home. There’s an office tucked at the front of the house, near the entrance with views of visitors, so could make a great work-from-home space (or the guest room, too, could do office or studio duty).
Upstairs are the three double bedrooms, all with the striking angled ceilings that make the house distinct. The master bedroom has its own balcony for sea views and sounds, all year round. The walk-through wardrobe has plenty of space, while the ensuite overlooks the bush and those nikaus, one of Ronnie’s favourite views.
“It’s just been so quiet here, that’s what’s appealed to me,” says Ronnie. “It’s lovely here at night watching the ships go by.”
But she’s decided it is time to close the circle by heading back to Mairangi Bay.