Pakuranga: Ahead of its time

Built in the 1950s with a 21st century aesthetic, this home with private river access has a flow all its own.

69 Millen Avenue, Pakuranga

Grant and Michelle McKenzie thought they had finally found a place they could call home when they bought a funky 1950s house on the Tamaki River about 15 months ago.

"When we came to look at this place we drove down this average-looking street, but then we came down the curved driveway and we thought 'Wow'," Grant says.

"Then we came out the back here and looked across the water and said, 'Oh no, factories'. But if it wasn't factories it would be houses and there would always be people looking across at you. Plus it would be a lot noisier - the factories stop at night and during the weekend.

"The trees around the boundary of the property give you great privacy, which makes it such a nice retreat."

But the McKenzies' busy working lives and the time they put into community work on top of that have forced them to reluctantly sell the cedar board and batten home that sits at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac.

Michelle is general manager for a labour hire firm while Grant is an account manager overseeing computer software for corporate clients. The 45-year-olds work in the city and are heavily involved with Remuera Lions. Gary has been president three times in the past and Michelle is to be the 1st vice president.

Recently, Gary has joined the board of the Sir Edmund Hillary Trust, which promotes outdoor activities for youth. And he still tries to find time for a bit of fishing on the 7.3m boat he keeps at Half Moon Bay.

"With the work we do and the community work we're involved in, we want to be able to just lock up and leave, but you can't do that with houses," says Grant.

"We'd moved around a bit before because we just hadn't found the house we wanted to settle in, but we thought this was the one."

Michelle says the one thing they won't be leaving behind is their cat, Merlot, which, in another community-minded gesture, they acquired from the SPCA.

She says Merlot won't mind the move but they will find it difficult to leave behind such a unique property.

"The house was architect-designed and built in 1959 and was obviously quite ahead of its time," she says.

"You've got the waterfront and the house is beautifully presented - plus you get lots of sun."

The L-shaped home is innovative for its time in that it has open plan living and large windows to maximise the views and allow plenty of light into the home. Among its unusual features are sliding fanlights for cross-ventilation, the slate floor in the living area and an outdoor fire sharing a chimney with the living room fire which has been updated with a Jetmaster firebox.

The living room also boasts a rimu-sarked ceiling and glass up to the ceiling in the end wall to open up the view across the water.

Most of the rooms open to the outdoors and there are outside living areas on three sides of the house, as well as a spa pool.

Grant says the courtyard with the outdoor fire is a favourite spot at night when they have friends around.

He says the couple have done little work on the house other than give it a freshen up.

"One of the few things we did change were the window frames, which were red and green. We painted them white to bring the house back to that classic black and white look."

The house opens out at the rear on to a deck with pergola and then on to a wide lawn at the rear that slopes gently towards the water.

It's this aspect that the couple love about the property.

"You come out here and you get the changing tides, the birdlife; you can catch flounder further up there; you see rowers and sometimes little yachts," says Grant.

"I imagine for a family with kids who are rowers this place would be ideal."

The McKenzies have been equally comfortable living in the eastern suburbs and in the Waitakeres, but now they are aiming for apartment living somewhere in between.

"We want to move into the city and cut out the traffic," says Grant. "It's going to be hard to leave but you have to weigh it up with these lifestyle choices. It's kind of impractical with where our lives are at to have a house with land as well."

Vital Statistics

SIZE: Land 1242sq m

PRICE: Interest expected above $550,000. Auction 26.

INSPECT: Open home Sat/Sun 11am-11.45am

CONTACT: Karrin MacLeod, Kellands, Ph 302 2209, Mob 021 606 886

FEATURES: Contemporary 1950s home on waterfront. Open plan living with multiple outdoor entertaining areas. Spa pool, outdoor fire, double garage and separate laundry.