SCHOOL ZONES:
Waipu Primary School and Bream Bay College.
CONTACT:
Christine Birss, 027 235 4323, Bayleys.
AUCTION:
April 20.
*OSP for several cars
Angela and Brendon Boyte were living and working in Western Australia when they started planning their return to New Zealand after seven years away.
Angela, a head chef, was working at a busy hotel that catered for the mining industry and Brendon worked in various roles, including driving long-haul trucks,known as road trains.
Angela is originally from Tokoroa and Brendon from Matamata. The couple met one Christmas Eve at Mt Maunganui, but they didn't return to live in any of these places when they left their jobs in Western Australia and moved back across the Ditch.
They were browsing online and saw a cottage on one hectare of land at Waipu Cove, a place neither of them had even visited, let alone spent any time in.
But there was something about this property's magical views, from Waipu Estuary to Whangarei Heads across to the Hen and Chicken islands, Sail Rock and south to Little Barrier, that really captured their attention.
"We fell in love with it and bought it when we were still in Australia," Angela recalls of their purchase in 2013.
The Boytes rented out the cottage until they were ready to return to New Zealand and start a family.
When they did so, they settled into Waipu Cove and its fantastic community easily, and had their son Micah, now three.
In 2015 they worked with A1 Homes to build a new four-bedroom, two-bathroom home.
The project involved moving the cottage further down the site to allow the new house to be built in its place, the most elevated part of the site with the best views.
"We really wanted the upstairs living area to focus on the views of the water and native bush," says Angela.
They also wanted expansive outdoor living spaces to enjoy these views, and so built a large deck off the upper level, with a deck below, too.
The master bedroom and a second bedroom are upstairs and there are two downstairs bedrooms.
No-exit Aqua View Drive is quiet and private. There is only one more house on the street after this property, so there is very little traffic.
A special LG fridge-freezer is also part of the chattels. It has a drinks compartment, ideal for entertaining.
Angela and Brendon had second son, Zekiah, a year ago. Angela says Waipu Cove is a fantastic place to have children, with an excellent playcentre and local coffee groups. The beach is only a five-minute drive away and there is an active surf lifesaving scene.
The Boytes have now relocated to Whangarei as they have a business there, leaving their special first family homes - the cottage and the new four-bedroom house - for new owners to enjoy.
"We will miss the views, the beach and the quiet," says Angela. "It's such a nice, friendly neighbourhood, in the best possible way."
