The owner of this property, John Harden, has long been accused of being impetuous.
He earned the tag in his ambitious youth when he left a sedate job-for-life in banking to try his luck in insurance, and again when he bought a rundown 66ha farm in Albany, with no moneyto develop it.
The tag struck again in 1987 after his wife, Daphne, dragged him along to inspect two neighbouring clifftop sections at Whale Cove, a coastal enclave along the Whangaparaoa Peninsula.
Daphne had been keen to buy a bach, but their search had been uninspiring. So when she rang to say she'd arranged to view the sections, John only reluctantly agreed.
The grassy sites stretched across the pohutukawa-fringed clifftop, bordering a council reserve. Below was a little-traversed cove of sand and rock pools, marking the southern end of Red Beach. Beyond that was nothing but sea and islands.
After a few minutes, Daphne said: "Do you like it?"
Thinking big had always served John well. His risk in leaving the bank had paid off with a successful 40-year career in insurance. His risk in buying the farm and putting his "life and soul" into converting it into a kiwifruit orchard had paid off when they sold it to be developed into lifestyle properties.
However, it seemed this latest ambition was destined to remain unfulfilled -- they discovered the sites had already been sold.
Image 1 of 13: A soaring glass-dominated design over five split-levels that maximise sun and views
Months later, one of John's clients happened to mention that he owned two sections in Red Beach -- the same ones -- and wasn't sure what to do with them. John expressed an interest, and a few months later, the properties changed hands.
The Hardens took another risk when they gave their architect, Bill Algie, a minimal brief and a blank cheque. They instructed him simply to make the most of the section's quarter-hectare footprint, and design the entrance in the grand style of a French Provencal-style home they'd admired in Paseo del Mar, California.
Algie developed a soaring glass-dominated design across an 803sq m floor plan, with five split-levels, and multiple living areas and courtyards that capitalise on the sun and views. There's a triple garage, a spacious guest annex and a huge master suite with its own sitting room and kitchenette. In 2007 they added a separate self-contained apartment they nicknamed the Doll's House, for its pretty gabled-roof entrance and loft-style design.
Even John seems surprised when he tallies up the toilets -- six of them, across three powder rooms and three full bathrooms--and that doesn't include the Doll's House. "We might have got carried away with the size."
There was no compromising on the materials, either -- a steel portal frame on concrete block foundations, clad with heavy stucco plaster. The interiors feature travertine tiles John and Daphne sourced from Italy, rimu and macrocarpa flooring, large Waterford and Schonbek chandeliers, and the same carpet the Clintons installed in the White House.
Once again, John's impetuosity has paid off. The couple have loved their home for 23 happy years, and are leaving only because Daphne's health is declining. "We've had this wonderful world here, but you've got to face reality -- you're not going to live forever," says John. "You've got to remember that eventually your world comes tumbling down, and appreciate it while you have it.
"God was kind to us. It's a dream house. We'd love it to go to someone who will be as dedicated to it as we are."
