Herald Island: A home for all seasons

CEDRIC GRAY takes a trip to Herald Island and discovers a sheltered haven away from the city bustle.

You are getting a bit long in the tooth if you remember boarding a ferry in downtown Auckland and cruising to Pine Island for the annual workers' picnic.

Hundreds of Auckland families have made the trip to the upper-harbour island where they pitched tents, boiled the billy and enjoyed egg-and-spoon, sack and three-legged races in the wide, open spaces until the high afternoon tide signalled it was time to leave for home.

How times have changed. Pine Island, now Herald Island and linked to Whenuapai by causeway, is a fashionable, west Auckland suburb - an interesting mix of million-dollar-plus waterfront properties and cottages given a new lease of life. The streets are dotted with Norfolk pines and pohutukawa trees, and, generally speaking, the few hundred permanent residents attend to their lawns and gardens with tender-loving care.

More than likely the ferries of yesteryear tied up at, or near, 103 Ferry Pde - one of only three properties on the island with wharf access on all tides. The 809sq m property holds riparian rights to a sheltered, deep-water channel, there is a small wharf and an off-shore mooring, and the site enjoys lovely views of the upper harbour, a popular aquatic playground.

The four-bedroom split stone and cedar home was built 31 years ago, and carries a CV of $580,000. It has been extensively refurbished in recent years and features a stylish central kitchen in its U-shaped design. The kitchen serves a nearby family dinette in a corner of the large family room-lounge, heated by a Kent wood fire during winter and enjoying ranchslider access to a central courtyard for outdoor entertaining.

A home for all seasons, the courtyard and an extensive timber deck overlooking the harbour estuary are the focal points. All bedrooms, the lounge and a spa room open to the courtyard. Three bedrooms are in one wing; the master bedroom, with en suite and walk-in wardrobe, is across the courtyard in a second wing.

Three-car garaging with additional storage has direct access to the lounge. There are three toilets, a central bathroom and a laundry. The property has town water and is connected to the Waitakere city sewage system.

The well-maintained grounds flow from the outdoor deck to the water's edge, and are screened by pohutukawa, camellia and a few citrus trees.

The property will be auctioned on site at midday, July 19. Contact Jim Ward at Barfoot & Thompson, West Harbour, on 416 5599 bus; 416 9162 ah; 0274 713 276 mob, or Jill Page on 416 5599 bus; 416 5078 ah; 0274 765 011 mob.