Inside story Paekakariki
Imagine a beach front home with stunning sea views and sheltered outdoor living but where you can pick your own fruit or relax in a leafy garden with a bridge over a stream. Such a lifestyle is possible with the sale of a superbly-presented home in one of Paekakariki’s best streets.
The refurbished four-bedroom house, at 52 Ames St, is in a delightful 1,141-square metre setting just a few minutes’ walk from the village and train station.
On one side is a sheltered, peaceful garden with lawn, natives and fruit trees, including apple, peach and lemon; on the other is extensive decking with panoramic views of Kapiti Island and the South Island, stretching from Paraparaumu Beach to Pukerua Bay.
A long driveway descends from a roadside garage, with attached crafts room or studio, across a picturesque stream to the elevated dwelling that’s been stylishly upgraded for practical modern living.
“We bought this for the lifestyle after looking at 60 other Paekakariki houses first,” the vendor says.
“There’s lots of birds, you see orcas, dolphins, seals or penguins, and the house comes alive with people in it — we had 50 guests here for our daughter’s wedding.
“It gets all-day sun, the stargazing is spectacular because of the minimal light pollution and the amount of storage is extraordinary for a Paekakariki house.
“The neighbours are just as amazing. We are sad to be leaving such a caring community.”
A feature of the 154sqm double-glazed house is the indoor-outdoor flow to the partly covered, northwest-facing deck with cafe blinds that electronically roll down for sheltered al fresco bliss.
“They turn it into an outdoor room,” the vendor says.
The wraparound deck steps out to terraced lawn, which leads to another grassy terrace overlooking the beach, and is off the open-plan living/dining room and kitchen.
The kitchen was remodelled in 2019, when the downstairs shower and toilet were replaced.
The owners also added bifold doors to the deck and a corner window seat with storage.
There’s a woodburner in the corner of the living area as well as a wall of bookshelves.
Kitchen chattels include combination-microwave and steam ovens, an electric cooktop, integrated rangehood, double DishDrawer dishwasher and refrigerator-freezer.
The first of the double-bedrooms is to the left of the front door. It adjoins a versatile study that has been used for extra living when the vendors hosted Airbnb guests. Upstairs are three more bedrooms, another sitting area and the second bathroom, which was remodelled last year.
One bedroom overlooks the garden and the others have sea views, including the main bedroom, which has a generous walkin wardrobe and opens to a broad balcony.
Other features include LED lighting throughout, a hideaway laundry, three sheds and a discreet service lane with firewood storage.
“The feel and vibe of this home will appeal to people who want to enjoy sophisticated seaside living with spectacular views,” agent Della Randall says.
“It’s at the quieter, more private end of the village in a very special enclave of homes that epitomises the sense of community for which Paekakariki’s renowned.”