Extraordinarily ever after in Parnell

3 Tohunga Cres, Parnell, Auckland. Photo / Ted Baghurst

3 TOHUNGA CRESCENT PARNELL

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SIZE: Land 1012sq m, house 566sq m (including garage and terraces).

PRICE INDICATION: Similar properties have sold in excess of $6 million. Expressions of interest close December 14 (unless sold prior).

INSPECT: By appointment only.

ON THE WEB: bayleys.co.nz/4103109

SCHOOLS: Parnell Primary, Auckland Grammar, Epsom Girls' Grammar.

CONTACT: Gary Wallace, Bayleys, ph 0274 988 585, or David Rainbow, 021 923 364.

FEATURES: Spectacular architectural design in a beautiful elevated waterside location above Hobson Bay. Three bedrooms, two of them self-contained, within a full living area on lower floor. Concealed glass wall, lift, back-projection media room and full automation. Schist-trimmed wine cellar, Paula McIntosh interior design.

Some houses practically shout "Look at me!" But nothing could be further from the case in the stunning Andrew Patterson-designed house that has been Linda Alpe's home for eight years.

Absolutely nothing is given away, with only an unobtrusive roof, a lift shaft and parking facilities visible from the street. The need for what could be construed as mere modernist austerity is clear once the wall of windows beside the front door allows a perspective down and past a stunning interior to one of the most jaw-dropping locations on the planet.

Built into a steep, east-facing hillside with unparalleled views of Hobson Bay, the harbour and city beyond, any dwelling built here faced the problem of how to bring adequate light into the interior while embracing those once-seen, never-forgotten views. Patterson's solution was masterly. By putting the main living floor one double-height level below the street, he was able to introduce a high, west-facing window which floods the interior with warm westerly light while embracing the incredible panorama.

Linda moved in in 2003, after a drawn-out design and building process, but admits she had been resigned to the delays. "This was designed to be a 'forever' home, so immense care was taken with every aspect of it, from coming up with a workable layout for people looking to live here into their old age, to just being happy with how the interior looked."

Renowned interior designer Paula McIntosh, working on what Linda thinks was her first very contemporary design, took care of the interior details, while a lift between floors and a downstairs two-bedroom apartment for staff or family addressed the practicalities of growing old in a four-storey home. "I've slept downstairs when the grandchildren come to stay," remarks Linda, "and it's a charming room. The views are just as lovely as they are upstairs, except here they are framed with a bit more vegetation."

On the main living floor above, one of the only rooms with no outlook is a schist-trimmed wine cellar. This, along with the adjacent media room, wraps the rear of the kitchen and its butler's pantry to the front, which, as expected in a setting like this, is a true entertainer's space.

The exterior living courtyard to the front is kept usable for most of the year with an outdoor fireplace alongside the table and a spa pool tucked into a sheltered corner.

A shallow infinity water feature is the graceful delineation between the drama of sea and sky and the immense two-storey living room. This beautiful room is made even more monumental by dint of the opening or closing of a literal wall of floor-to-ceiling doors. These disappear seamlessly into a side parking area at the push of a button; part of the full automation which drives this house. When the doors are retracted, there is nothing between the interior and the exterior, and they appear to flow continuously out across the reflections of the water in the pool into the bay beyond.

Upstairs is what would be expected of a master bedroom suite in a home of this calibre. This one has a Balinese-inspired stone bath in a luxurious bathroom, a room of wardrobes and views than can be described only as spectacular. It is here that Linda has come to terms with the fact that she will not live out her days in this beautiful home. "It has the most tranquil feeling you could wish for. I can't imagine a more healing space. But I'm completely positive about moving on. Perhaps a family with older children will move in and enjoy it or perhaps it will be perfect for someone in the afternoon of their life. Who can tell?"