KEY POINTS:
47A MARITIME TCE, BIRKENHEAD POINT
SIZE: Land share of 1320sq m (approx), house 270sq m.
PRICE INDICATION: CV $1 million. Auction September 24.
INSPECT: Sat/Sun 1.30-2.15pm.
ON THE WEB: www.bayleys.co.nz/10841358.
SCHOOL ZONES: Birkenhead School, Northcote Intermediate, Northcote College.
CONTACT: Bernadette Morrison or Sue Mayhew, Bayleys, ph Bernadette 021 345
520, Sue 021 993 855.
FEATURES: Cool 1970s house with two separate living areas, plus an office. Extensive views of Auckland City, the harbour bridge, Rangitoto and beyond. Elevated position provides all-day sun. Three-metre dive pool and landscaped grounds. Walking distance to the boutiques and cafes in Birkenhead Point, tennis courts, Little Shoal Bay, Le Roys Bush and the ferry to the city.
Sometimes in the warmer months, Maria and Mark can see harbour weddings from the dining room of their Birkenhead Point home. It seems the water off Little Shoal Bay, between Birkenhead and Northcote Points, is a popular spot for summer nuptials.
Maria says that through a telescope it's even possible to glimpse the couple kiss and the guests around them cheer.
There's no doubt about the impressive nature of this home's views, even without a wedding out front. On a clear day, the home's outlook extends towards Rangitoto, the Coromandel and even Great Barrier in one direction, while the more immediate vista is towards Northcote Point, the harbour bridge and the city beyond.
"This view is great in all weather," Maria says. "The cityscape goes orange at sunset, as the lights come on in the buildings."
The couple are keen boaties, and Maria says they both really enjoy being able to see the activity in the harbour, with yachts sailing and the Birkenhead Point ferry chugging back and forth.
Maria is a Maritime Tce veteran of sorts, since this is the fourth home in this street she's lived in over the past 25 years. Surprisingly, though, it wasn't the views that first sold her and Mark on this 1970s property when they bought nearly seven years ago.
They'd decided to buy even before they'd set foot upstairs.
"We just really liked its aspect and size of the lobby and downstairs bedrooms," Maria says, who adds the couple wanted to cater for their two adult sons and two adult daughters, who have all had on-and-off stints living at home.
They also liked a large downstairs room with its separate entrance that Maria could use as a studio for her exercise business, Simply Shaping.
Set down a driveway, you pass under a cool 1970s brick archway to reach a brick courtyard and the home's front door. The lower level of the house is clad with retro clinker bricks, while the upper level features new weatherboards. Maria and Mark also replaced the roof.
The front garden sports a dive-depth pool surrounded by timber decking. One of the downstairs bedrooms has ranchsliders which open on to the pool area, while a second bedroom opens on to the courtyard.
Also downstairs is a newly renovated bathroom, with a bath and a stylish Pozzi Ginori basin, as well as a separate toilet. Maria's studio is large and spacious, plus there's an additional study and a full-sized laundry.
Upstairs, you appreciate the home's cool 1970s roots, with exposed poles and a sarked ceiling. Maria and Mark have opted to retain the character of the poles, rather then box them in. Part of one is even visible in the guest powder room. The living area and dining and kitchen zones are split level, in true 70s style.
There's a covered balcony on one side of the dining room, while the other side has a picture window to capture that great view.
There are four balconies off the living area and bedrooms too. A third bedroom upstairs shares the bridge vista, while the master bedroom has an enormous walk-in wardrobe and a large, tiled en suite.
"This home is such a safe haven for grown ups and kids," says Maria. "It's a big, robust 70s house that does everything it's got to do." She says she would love to see another family enjoy it. Now that their children have flown the coop, Maria and Mark are keen to get a lock-up-and-leave home so they can sail to their hearts' content.
They'll be buying locally, though. "I am happy to go for number five house in Maritime Tce," Maria confirms.