Remuera: Endearing hideaway

In a peaceful, five-star location, this Remuera gem offers a relaxing retreat as a family home or income, as VICKI HOLDER reports.

Many a visiting celebrity has snuck into Auckland and retreated to the country-style hospitality dished up by Keith and Shirley Mossman at Omahu House.

This traditional boutique bed and breakfast in Remuera beckons visitors to take time out and relax.

Set in peaceful garden surroundings in a quiet street known for its big, old bungalows, Omahu House offers a comfortable, convenient hideaway for guests. Close to the shops and cafes of Remuera village, it's minutes from the centre of the city and Auckland's many attractions.

It's also in heartland Remuera, guaranteeing good schools for a family with children. Whether you are eyeing the property as a potential business or a home, the location is a winner.

Facing west, it's well-oriented to the sun with several rooms opening to a big, private, landscaped garden. The large garden was only developed five years ago, but it's already bursting with vigour and colour. A potager garden behind the garage provides the kitchen with healthy offerings of fresh vegetables and strawberries.

Before the Mossmans arrived five years ago the house had always been a big family home. To make it into more upmarket accommodation, the couple redecorated in a style that was in keeping with the 1920s era of the home. They felt the interior needed to appeal to as broad a range of visitors as possible.

They re-carpeted the large lounge off the entry in a pale camel and cream plaid design. The walls were painted a creamy yellow and modern uplighters installed to cast a soft wash of light on a stone grey feature wall.

To make life easier, gas was installed in the tiny, ecclesiastical-looking, oiled Baltic pine fireplace, which has original leadlight windows on either side. One end of the room extends through french doors to a wrap-around veranda that overlooks the garden. Guests can peep through french doors at the other end to see what's cooking in the French country-style kitchen.

Portuguese tiles, hand-painted with farm animals, create a smooth benchtop surface across the pale green, washed timber cabinets. Opening to the garden, the kitchen revolves around the electric hob on a central island, which is beneath a chimney suspended from the ceiling. Pots and pans hang along one edge to make them handy for cooking.

Above a small, glass-roofed family area beside the kitchen, a cosy television room with exposed timber beams criss-crossing the ceiling gives guests a relaxed night-time escape. When filled with up to 10 people, the dining room next door gets so warm that the Mossmans have installed a rotating fan above the table. An original coal fire against the wall is hardly ever used as the gas under-floor heating is so efficient.

A feminine white bedroom to the left of the entry and two bedrooms off an oak panelled hallway form a wing that reaches into the garden on the downstairs level. The Mossmans' bedroom, with a walk-through dressing room, en suite and study, is the larger of these rooms. Lined with oak panelling beneath a pitched white ceiling, it gives them additional private sitting space. Both rooms in the garden wing open to the garden through pergolas that overlook the pool.

Two more bedrooms upstairs hide beneath steep, pitched, tongue-and-groove ceilings, which give a traditional country atmosphere. One of the rooms opens into a spacious walk-through dressing room that leads to a study. The other peers out to the view through twin dormer windows fitted with bench seats. While every bedroom has its own bathroom, both the upstairs rooms have small, tiled en suites.

Be it a home for a large family or a business opportunity, this endearing Remuera home offers absolute comfort in a highly sought-after street.

Vital statistics:

ADDRESS: Omahu House, 35 Omahu Rd, Remuera.

FEATURES: Large 1927 bungalow; solid stucco over block; roof fully restored in 1997, gas-ducted heating plus gas fire; three electric wall heaters; five bedrooms; five bathrooms, including three en suites; guest toilet; lounge plus TV room; separate dining room; swimming pool and spa.

SIZE: Land area 1103sq m.

Auction: 2.30pm, October 19, on site.

AGENT: Vivienne Jensen, Harcourts. Ph 520 8129 bus; 021 652252 mob. Steve Koerber, Barfoot & Thompson, Remuera. Ph 524 1659 bus; 021 864 166 mob.