SCHOOL ZONES:
Matakana, Snells Beach and Warkworth primaries, Mahurangi College.
CONTACT:
Paul Elsden, 021 936 011, Bayleys.
AUCTION:
September 23 (unless sold prior).
Most weekends Liz and Tom Halpin zip up to Omaha from Auckland and in an hour they have left the hustle and bustle of the city behind.
They had been looking for a beach house for a couple of years and were thinking about Coromandel, but rented in Omaha oneChristmas holiday and loved it so much they bought one here instead.
"It was an hour away from Auckland pretty much door to door for us if you go in off-peak times, so that was very attractive," says Liz.
"It meant that we could virtually have two lives, a city life and a weekend life."
There are many lovely places on the doorstep, too, she says.
Nearby Matakana is a bustling township if you want a break from the beach.
"We found a wonderful art gallery and we frequent their monthly exhibition openings. When we have guests there's lots of interesting things to show them and take them to, vineyards and sculpture walks and the market, which is lovely."
Tawharanui Peninsula is also nearby and the couple's sons often pop over there to surf.
Omaha itself is great and the house they bought -- designed by architect Alan Shanahan -- is only 400 steps from the long, sandy beach.
Their property, about 6 years old, is at the beginning of the southern end of Omaha, "so, literally, you drive over the causeway and you're in close proximity to the shopping centre and the surf. life club so, for us it's like you just drive straight in.
"It's really convenient. You just feel like 'I've arrived, here I am'."
The beach is "divine" and if you don't want to swim, the house is a lovely and easy place to hang out, says Liz, an interior designer, who loved the aesthetic from the start.
"It's an aesthetically beautiful house, it just oozes quality.
"You get that lovely feel, and I'm not quite sure what it is -- it's just very well balanced, it fits well and the detail that went into it when it was designed.
"It's quite special really.
Image 1 of 9: This beautifully designed pad is only 400 footsteps from the door to the divine white sandy beach
"We particularly liked the materials that were used in the property, like the cedar, the bagged brick, the Colorsteel roof. There was copper spouting and guttering, things like that.
"As we pulled up to the property it looked quality.
"There was Louvretec front fences and gate, and you could see there was a Louvretec roof over the outdoor dining area."
In a coastal environment, these sorts of quality products stand the test of time, Liz says.
Inside, it is spacious and open with wooden floors and a lot of windows.
Bifold and sliding doors making great use of the light, and the decks offer great spaces for barbecues and chilling out in the sun, and there is a fully landscaped and fenced garden.
Upstairs, the master bedroom and en suite has views to Little Barrier and Tawharanui, and a shower with a dome that lets natural light through. "On a sunny day you almost feel like you're showering outside."
Omaha has a cafe and fully equipped superette, and there is what Liz calls a "frock shop" where you can buy a summer top or togs and Jandals, and you never know who you will bump into.
She says they will be sad to leave this house, but they are not going far.
