Chester has his nose almost in the roaring fire. He would get right inside the woodburner if he could, says Suzanne Hansen in the lounge of her Northcote Point home with its glimpses of the sea through the pohutukawa which line the banks across the road and look so stunningat Christmas.
Chester is a rescue dog from the SPCA but he's in such great shape nowadays he gleams nearly as much as the polished matai floors.
Suzanne, an IT executive, and husband Mark, the "domestic engineer" (a house dad), moved to Northcote Point in 1999, with their then 10-month-old son Kristian.
They loved the early 20th-century architecture of the area and although they initially bought a more modern townhouse, they always had their sights on owning one of the historic houses.
Suzanne says they were so obsessed with the architecture and so focused on meeting the community and getting inside some of those houses, they made a plan with a neighbour to establish the inaugural Northcote Point Progressive Cocktail Party.
They printed invitations and delivered them to neighbours and now the event is approaching its 16th year.
Since the cocktail party began, the neighbourhood has added an annual Christmas party and of late the Tongan Methodist Brass Band from the church up the road plays Christmas carols and joins in for a barbecue.
"This is a community in every sense, where new entrants are welcomed with open arms and where we look after one another, and where we fundamentally care for and offer support -- pet feeding, rubbish emptying, community safety -- all without getting in each other's way," says Suzanne.
Mark says there's a village atmosphere; this area is more than a suburb.
Image 1 of 8: Feel free to join the cocktail party or meet for a pub quiz in this friendly area
Suzanne recalls how they bought this house. She was having a glass of wine, Mark was away, and she noticed a real estate agent parking in front of the house on the corner next door.
She bought the house before it went on the market, and before fully consulting with Mark, although he loved it, too.
"I just knew the house was the right one for us," she says.
For a couple of years they learned how the house flowed, then renovated, and now it's a fantastic entertaining and living house, with plenty of space and warmth, says Suzanne.
They put in an entertainer's kitchen, because this couple loves to entertain, and they turned a space in the master bedroom into an en suite and walk-in wardrobe and put in a stylish main bathroom.
After tidying inside they put in the outdoor decks and patio. There are three deck areas, one with the patio and lawn out front which is contained within a natural hedge and looks out to the pohutukawa. There is also a glimpse of the harbour bridge from here, and there is another deck off the spare bedroom.
The kitchen also leads out to decking and has another view of the bridge. They use this deck more for the morning sun, and when the doors off the lounge and the kitchen are opened there is full indoor-outdoor flow and a breeze on hot summer days.
The Northcote Tavern, where they and neighbours used to meet for the pub quiz, is within walking distance, as is the ferry to the city. Walk the dog under the bridge and along the motorway, and the Bridgeway cinema is just up the road.
Suzanne says tears will flow when they move, but Kristian is going away to university and they have decided to move to their Whitianga home.
