Birkenhead point: A piece of paradise

It's hard to believe that this family hideaway in the bush is a hop and a skip from the CBD. By VICKI HOLDER.

Hiding from the neighbours several hundred metres away, the house rises castle-like in splendid isolation. It's the jewel in the crown of a crop of properties on Birkenhead Point.

Perched up high, the home's living areas capture all-day sun and enjoy enviable views across the bay. In fact, every room claims a view. Even when stacking clothes in the laundry your eye can wander to the sea to escape momentarily.

Native birds flock to this large, peaceful, bush hideaway to enjoy the abundant puriri berries and the honey dew the owner puts out for his lovely fat woodpigeons and tuis. So isolated from the road, the only sounds you hear are the sweet, clear calls of the birds. It's hardly the environment you'd expect to find five minutes from the CBD, which is exactly what makes it so special.

Designed about 20 years ago by architect Paul Higgins, the home has weathered the tides of changing fashions with aplomb. A timeless, modern classic, it is built of natural cedar and rustic brick, and trimmed with painted cedar joinery and copper spouting.

The brick-lined entry and stairwell beckons from the double carport and driveway to the living areas linked to balconies from all three levels. Relaxing in the sun is what the home is all about.

The house moves up and down between bedrooms and bathrooms from the main living level in the centre. The warm, cedar tongue-and-groove kitchen forms a central focus beneath a pitched douglas fir ceiling. It looks across a low breakfast bar to a casual dining room where you would never tire of gazing out the window. Opening to a sunny terrace with built-in seating, it forms an easy alfresco link to the formal dining area and lounge next door. On cold nights the owner lights the fire in a cosy snug with more built-in seating adjacent to the lounge.

A few steps rise to the highest level, where the owner has moved his paperwork to a room that would once have been a fourth bedroom. As an office, it provides a superb place to work with an expansive and inspirational outlook.

A glazed gallery forms a light-filled passageway that puts a handy distance between the busy part of the house and a tantalising master bedroom suite. On a velvety red carpet and beneath crystal chandeliers, the bed is staged for romance as it peers out through a large picture window across the bush to the harbour.

The gallery also provides wind shelter without hindering the views from an outdoor living area behind. This bricked rooftop platform is currently the main outdoor living space. With a built-in, brick barbecue area and spa pool, it's perfect for entertaining and can accommodate a large number of guests who can move freely between the different levels.

Another sitting room on the ground floor - with water views through doors to the deck - offers a gathering space for users of the two lower bedrooms.

Even though it's so close to the city, you don't need to worry about fighting with traffic to get there. The property is only a few minutes' walk from the ferry, which leaves Birkenhead and takes you to the bottom of Queen St in about 10 minutes.

Although the land surrounding the house is extensive, it is easy to care for and natural.

A piece of unspoilt waterfront paradise with riparian rights to the beach, this unique retreat is a rock-solid investment. It also offers the option to subdivide - if you dare!

Vital Statisitcs

ADDRESS: 14 Peregrine Plc, Birkenhead Point.

FEATURES: Architecturally designed, modern cedar home on large waterfront property in bush; riparian rights; all-day sun; water views from every room; peaceful position at end of right-of-way; four bedrooms; master en suite plus family bathroom; three sitting areas open outdoors to balconies with views; TV snug with free-standing fireplace; double carport; good storage underneath; rooftop outdoor living with brick barbecue and spa pool.

SIZE: Land area 2,408sq m.

AUCTION: 2pm, June 4, at Bayleys Maritime Square auction rooms.

AGENT: Heather Jenkin-Buchanan, Bayleys. Ph 309 6020 bus; 021 497 433 mob.