THREE-LEVEL PLAYING FIELD

And it has its own boatshed and private access to one of Auckland’s best beaches, writes LOUISE RICHARDSON

In the early-1990s, a North Shore business couple came upon their dream site while going for a drive on a winter afternoon.

An old house on Narrow Neck beach was for sale — complete with riparian rights and its own boatshed built into the cliff.

They snapped it up and lived in it for a couple of years before engaging Bruce Macfarlane from architects Mac and Co to interpret their brief.

“We worked very closely with him and described all of our ideas, which he turned into this fantastic design,” say the owners.

“For instance, the house, which was completed in 1996, has been built facing away from the street, so that the front looks out directly on to the channel and towards Rangitoto.”

The couple requested a Mediterranean flavour in keeping with the beachfront position. This theme is evident throughout, in the terracotta tiled floors, window shutters, and warm, earthy colours.

They also wanted a design which wouldn’t date. “It’s been a lovely house to live in,” they say. “It’s cool and breezy in summer and it catches the sun in winter.”

It has four bedrooms, four bathrooms, an office, plus expansive formal and informal lounge and dining spaces and a generous entertainer’s kitchen. The master suite itself looks out to sea.

All of this is set over three levels, each providing privacy from beach-goers down below.

There’s a bus-stop almost directly outside the property, and the local golf club, boat club and schools are nearby.

The owners feel the property will appeal especially to ex-pats returning home or America’s Cup fans looking for a grandstand view.

Now retired, they finally realised that the house and the section is too large for their needs. “We were actually only using a very small part of it.”

They’ve recently downsized and are very happy in their new lock-up-and-leave home, 10 minutes’ walk away.

Victoria Bidwell from Bayleys says: “This is exceptional beach-front buying. You’ll not only get the house and its grounds — which are in perfect harmony with their surroundings — but the idyllic lifestyle too, with everything you need just moments away.

“The house was extremely well-built and has been carefully maintained, so this is the perfect opportunity for a buyer who wants to have it all.” Sale: Price by negotiation

Contact: Victoria Bidwell, Bayleys, 021 947 080