At one with nature

After emigrating from Britain, Kim and John Murray were looking for their slice of Kiwi paradise.

And they found it in an elevated bush setting with a wide outlook back to Auckland City and views of the Manukau Harbour.

"When I came from the UK this is how I imagined New Zealand to be, with all the pongas and kauris around you," says Kim.

The couple also liked the quality renovation and extension of a 1950s home, which is perched on the hillside with a swimming pool on its northern side.

A concrete driveway winds up to the two-storey home, which has internal access double garaging on the ground floor. Also on this level are a laundry and a toilet while on the other side of the tiled foyer are two bedrooms, one set up as a media room.

The guest bedroom opens out to a deck, which steps down to the lawn.

"It's quite self-contained down here so it's great for having people to stay over," says Kim. "I quite like sitting down on the deck here because it's cooler in the evenings."

Curves are a feature of the brick and weatherboard home, and you are introduced to them straight away with a curling stairway that takes you up to the main floor.

Dark-stained oak floors on the landing and in the kitchen give way to carpet in the open plan dining and lounge areas, which have picture windows facing east back to the city.

"I like to sit here and have a cup of coffee in the morning and look out at the view," says Kim. "My other favourite spot is in the kitchen with the view of the harbour and on Sunday mornings you can see all the yachts out from the French Bay club."

With an island bench/breakfast bar as its centrepiece, the kitchen opens to a south-facing balcony with harbour views that overlooks the driveway.

While they haven't touched the kitchen, the Murrays did update the main bathroom with stone coloured tiles.

The southern side of the house has two bedrooms that also open to the balcony.

But it's the northern side of the house that has pulling power, with its stunning views and doors that open to a patio that steps down to a deck surrounding the pool. Glass balustrades allow unimpeded views across the treetops to the city.

At the western end of the house, you step up to the master bedroom, which opens out to a glass-balustraded deck overlooking the pool. Again, a curve - featuring glass block walls - takes you up to this wing of the house, which also has an en suite and walk-in wardrobe.

"This is a great bedroom to wake up in," says Kim. "When the sun is shining, the light reflects off the pool and dances on the ceiling."

Kim says the home was so well renovated that they haven't needed to do much since buying in 2009. They rebuilt the pool surrounds, repainted the interior of the home in lighter colours and "put in blinds and curtains because there were none".

They have enjoyed this peaceful, sunny spot but now Kim and John are following another popular Kiwi dream: leaving the city for a relaxed coastal lifestyle - at Papamoa where they can be close to their grandchildren.

At one with nature

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