SCHOOL ZONES:
St Heliers School, Glendowie College
CONTACT:
Andy Dye, Barfoot & Thompson, ph 021 795 655
National Party candidate Todd Muller and wife Michelle weren't planning on selling up quite so soon but Todd is standing in Tony Ryall's seat of Bay of Plenty and is pretty hopeful of getting into Parliament.
The couple and their three children have lived in their house down a long driveway off St Heliers Bay Rd for nearly three years and will miss the space and the warmth.
Michelle will also miss her new kitchen -- and especially her new fridge. "It was funny," she says. "Todd and I got this fridge when we first started living together and we still had it with three children and I said I wanted a decent fridge, so I chose the fridge and we designed the kitchen around the fridge."
They had to use a crane to get the "French Doors" fridge into the house -- so it is definitely staying.
He saw the house first and was blown away by the size and space, saying that even though the house is down a driveway it is two levels -- three counting the loft bedroom -- so there is still a great sense of elevation.
The informal lounge, which has a fire, opens to a deck that looks over the yard where there is a tree house the couple had built for the children.
Around the corner from the informal lounge is an even larger lounge, big enough for a dining table at one end and sofas for television viewing.
Downstairs are the children's rooms, two of which have French doors outside, an office, bathroom and internal access to the garage, where there is also a laundry and a man cave.
Image 1 of 6: 212b St Heliers Bay Rd.
The two things they are most proud of, Todd says, are the kitchen and the tree house.
Michelle says when they came here the big oak tree in the yard was "screaming 'I need a tree house'. It's got a deck, fireman's pole, monkey bars, swings".
Inside, it has a table, chairs, cushions and a pretend kitchen. "You could live out there a little bit -- it's a serious tree house," says Todd.
They also love that the sun streams into the house even in the middle of winter and that there is virtually no road noise.
Todd is from Te Puna in Tauranga so is returning home and though Michelle is from Auckland she lived there for 11 years so feels like she is going home as well. Says Todd: "The only reason we're moving is because this opportunity's come up and now I'm out door-knocking and campaigning."
