Waikowhai: Flounder for breakfast

The owners of this much loved family home are ready to hand on their swish renovation, and details of their local fishing spot.

6 Royal Viking Way, Waikowhai.

The coastal bush and beaches of the Manukau harbour are hard to shake from the blood. People who grew up around the bays from Hillsborough through to Titirangi and Laingholm tell tales of idyllic living long gone in more urbanised parts of the city: kids making huts in the bush, setting flounder nets, racing their bikes through the parks and cul-de-sacs. John and Liz Skeates envisaged just such a childhood for their family when they built their split level house in Royal Viking Way some 18 years ago.

``I grew up nearby, my family and our friends have all stayed in the area. Once you realise this lifestyle exists so close to the city it is hard to move to suburbia,'' says John. ``We wanted our kids to have the free outdoor lifestyle I grew up with, with the bush and the sea, but more accessible to the city than further out west.''

John and Liz brought up their three kids, aged 12 to 17, and grew their IT business around building their dream house of cedar and schist. Their distinct look - modern lodge meets smart spa - reflects the family's love of their harbour and bush-meets-country setting. But, after just renovating the bathrooms and living rooms to luxury standard this year, Liz and John have fallen in love with a clifftop home nearby designed by Andrew Patterson. Plans have changed.

They reckon there's a bit of bribery under way to winkle the kids out of the house, which has three living spaces, plus a mezzanine retreat, in which they can spread out. The heart of the house is the dining room with a soaring ceiling. From here radiate a classic kitchen, cosy family sunroom and formal living room.

``A massive number of people can flow around this floor when we entertain,'' says Liz. ``In summer we throw open the doors to the outdoor living room on the patio, in winter our guests gather by the fire.''

The schist surrounding the fire works perfectly with the recycled rimu floors, and the built-in window seats are a favourite sunny retreat on a winter day.

John has made sure every room in the house is wired for phone, sound and internet, so that people can work wherever the fancy takes them. There is a small home office tucked near the kitchen which Liz used as a sewing room when the kids were small. And downstairs, the recently refurbished triple garage has been configured with its own entrance and wiring so that it could be closed off as a bigger office if needed.

Of more interest to the teens and their friends is the fully wired media room on the ground floor. This is a self-contained space with its own stylish kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living room.

Upstairs, a generous master suite has just had a complete bathroom overhaul, with colour-backed glass, high-end lighting and accessories complementing the granite benches. The family bathroom has a similar sleek finish and Liz worked with an interior designer to create sophisticated colour schemes through out the house.

Outside, John and Liz whittled the lawns down to a few sunny square meters, using native planting, paved courtyards and a gazebo to create a series of outdoor rooms. A private spa pool is tucked away, along with fruit trees, a vege garden, even a trampoline for the kids.

``This street gives kids a classic Kiwi childhood,'' says John. ``And I'm even prepared to include the secret of my top flounder fishing spot at the end of the street to the next buyer. Where else in urban Auckland can you catch fresh fish for breakfast?''

VITAL STATISTICS

BEDROOMS: 5

BATHROOMS: 3

GARAGES: 3

SIZE: Land 658sq m, house 340sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Upwards of $750,000.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 2-2.45pm.

ON THE WEB: www.bayleys.co.nz/350304

CONTACT: Angela Wimsett-Findlay, Bayleys Mt Eden, ph 631 1888 mob 021 571 999, Jeannette Young-Smith, Bayleys Titirangi, ph 0275 826 640,
817 0101.

FEATURES: Multiple living spaces (one fully wired for home theatre), landscaped grounds with plenty of outdoor living. Views over bush with access at the end of the street to parks and flounder fishing. Large garage with workshop, storage and boat access.