1/177 Hurstmere Rd, Takapuna, Auckland. Photo / Getty Images
Michelle Toulson has lived all over Auckland but Takapuna is simply the best, she says. Husband Richard, originally from the United Kingdom, agrees: "Takapuna's awesome.
"We were renting in Takapuna at the top of the Spencer for a while. We liked the area before we lived permanently here.
"We passed by and this was for sale. We liked the character; it's a bit different."
That was about seven years ago.
They loved the Paddington-style look of the corner terrace home which spans four
levels and has an expansive landscaped patio garden on the ground floor and balconies on all other levels — and the great thing is it still has a terrific view.
The master bedroom on the top level is a joy because each morning they wake and look straight out to the sea and Rangitoto.
"We can sit up in bed, have our morning tea and look at the view. It's quite lovely."
The home had been rented for a long time when they bought, so nobody had put any style into it, says Michelle who is a cosmetic tattooist.
"We just prettied it up a bit," she says, though this is an understatement particularly when it comes to her dream Miton kitchen.
"This is an Italian import-style kitchen so it does come direct from Italy. We've got friends who are kitchen people and I said to them 'I've seen these beautiful kitchens, can you get them?'
The kitchen has marble benchtops, imitation Roman columns which open to pull out cupboards and there's even a butler's pantry with a sink.
Appliances are Miele, including a dishwasher you knock three times to open.
The kitchen is particularly hard to leave, Michelle says: "We keep sort of thinking, 'are we doing the right thing'?"
The master bedroom has bifold doors to a private balcony, a roomy walk-in wardrobe, and the extra large en suite has a door opening to a large storage area.
The next level has the kitchen and dining area with a balcony and the lounge also has a balcony, and downstairs are a further two bedrooms sharing another balcony, plus there's an office and a bathroom.
Outdoors is the substantial garden they have landscaped to make low-maintenance, and they nip through their double garage to get to the heated swimming pool which is part of the resort-style complex.
Much as they love their solid masonry construction house, however, it is the location they will miss the most.
Their road has a cafe, a boat club, the wharf and the beach in one direction, and in the other they can walk to the Takapuna shops and restaurants.
"It's fantastic," says Michelle: "I've lived in about 25 suburbs in Auckland…
"I've tried St Heliers, Remuera, Meadowbank, Mission Bay, Mt Eden, Birkenhead, Takapuna – and Takapuna was always my favourite.
"It's got a beautiful beach, it's got great schools, it's got a theatre right across the road from us, the Bruce Mason Theatre.
"It has the swimming pool, the lake, movie theatres, a mall, all the health care facilities, close proximity to a hospital."
The couple say Takapuna is quaint, friendly and close to the city.
Says Michelle: "I don't think there's another suburb in Auckland that can match it. Really, when you've lived in a lot of places you know the best is the best."
Michelle and Richard are moving to a smaller property in Millwater.