It was a love of cars that sealed the deal when the current owners of this northern slopes property in Herne Bay purchased it in 2016.
Rare for the suburb, it boasts four-car internal garaging, as well as off-street parking for two more vehicles behind the electronic security gate.
“My husband loves cars – he has a sports car and wanted more, plus we had my car. So the thing that attracted us most first off was definitely the garage,” says Eve, one of the owners.
The couple moved in right before their daughter was born and have loved the family-friendly spaces, great flow and outdoor living of the stylish residence. A unique and highly functional floor plan sees two key wings enveloping a central garden and swimming pool area.
Start your property search
“We used to have a trampoline out there which the kids loved. They could play safely while we prepared dinner and I could hear them when they shouted, ‘Mummy look at me! Mummy can I have some water? Mummy can you get me a ball!’,” she laughs.
27 Clifton Road in Herne Bay, Auckland, is on the market for sale by auction on November 1. The four-bedroom, three-bathroom property has a 2021 CV of $5.5 million.
Listing agent Luke McCaw, from Bayleys, says, “The way it’s been designed is that there’s nice separation between your sleeping quarters and your social spaces. It’s also been designed so that the hallway which links the two runs down the southern boundary, which means your outdoors actually has a northern aspect.”
The home has two wings enveloping a central back garden and swimming pool. One wing is for social spaces and the other is sleeping quarters. Photo / Supplied
27 Clifton Road has four bedrooms, three bathrooms, four-car garaging and off-street parking for two more vehicles. Photo / Supplied
The front wing incorporates the separate media room and huge open-plan living, dining and chef’s kitchen with scullery.
On the ground floor of the rear wing is another living area, bedroom and ensuite, while upstairs offers two more bedrooms and a bathroom, as well as the master with walk-in wardrobe and ensuite.
While contemporary, there is a classic elegance to the interior aesthetic, which features timber floors with herringbone design, peaked tongue and groove ceilings, white shutters and glamorous crystal chandeliers. But for those with little ones, it’s still practical and hardwearing enough to withstand family life.
The couple, who have since had a son, have enjoyed the way the home works well for family dynamics and the separation it offers adults and kids.
“My favourite space is the kitchen-living-dining area, but my favourite room is my daughter’s room,” says Eve. “We had an artist paint it girly but not too girly. It’s a soft-toned peachy colour with some hand-painted decoration.”
The Japanese-style gardens are another key feature and the couple have done a huge amount of landscaping, which is evident from the property’s stunning street presence.
“We went to a nursery to hunt for the blue Totara (topiary) out the front and we put in gardenias along the walkway, from the front all the way to the swimming pool.”
The home is 375sqm in floor space and has a swimming pool on 675sqm of land. Photo / Supplied
The homeowners did most of the landscaping themselves, planting blue Totara topiary in the front and gardenias along the walkway. Photo / Supplied
They also installed the LouvreTec canopy above the patio. “When my kids were small we could put them there to crawl around and we’ve had parties and barbecues out there. And we soak in the pool when the weather is hot,” she says.
The couple have enjoyed the incredibly friendly neighbourhood, where everyone looks out for one another.
27 Clifton Road is a short walk from all of Jervois Road’s shops, bars and eateries, as well as handy to the motorway on-ramp, waterfront and CBD.
“The new Metro supermarket just opened about five-minutes’ walk away. We love that we don’t have to go to Ponsonby or Freemans Bay to go to the supermarket.”
Agent McCaw says, “I expect it to stand out, being a contemporary home in a character home-dominant neighbourhood.
“I think the multiple living spaces will prove popular and the ability to park six vehicles securely off the street with the four-car internal access garage will probably stand it out the most, being quite a rare feature for the Herne Bay market.
“It’s a nice big home, 375-odd square metres of house, so it certainly offers a lot for what we think will be good value.”
- 27 Clifton Road in Herne Bay, Auckland, goes to auction on November 1
