As a youngster growing up on Te Atatu Peninsula, Gary Tanner spent many happy hours kneeling on an old surfboard paddling up and down Henderson Creek.
Sometimes he’d come ashore to cheekily help himself to fruit growing on trees in properties backing onto the water, including a brick and tile house in Renata Cresent.
Fast forward to 2005 and when Gary saw that house advertised for sale, he knew he had to have it.
“I recognised it straight away, and said, ‘I want that house!’,” says Gary. “It’s such a great location.”
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The waterfront section in a quiet crescent might have been perfect, but the dwelling on it was not. The sophisticated cedar and stone-clad house that now sits on the land is a far cry from the original modest home.
Gary and his wife Kathy had a long list of “must-haves” when they sat down with architect Alan Shanahan to come up with plans for new home for them and their daughters Samantha and Katherine.
At the top of the list was making the most of the great views over the water.
“We spent a lot of time working on the layout to achieve that,” says Gary.
The open plan living, dining and kitchen at the rear of the home looks out over the flat lawn to mangroves and the water. On the other side of the wide creek is Royal Heights, and at night the lights from homes there twinkle in the distance and are reflected in the water. A huge picture window in the living room frames the outlook.
The kitchen was Kathy’s pet project. She spent many hours with a designer working on a gourmet kitchen, which has an induction hob, 90cm oven, combination microwave/oven and a steamer oven. There are plenty of clever storage features, including stainless steel bain marie containers built into the bench top and pull-out shelving for easy access. Plus the two dishwashers, four sinks and instant hot water have made it a dream kitchen to cook in.
She also had specific ideas about how she wanted the deck off the living room to look. Rather than traditional wooden decking, she requested a polished concrete floor with shells mixed into the concrete.
“I was pleased with how that turned out,” says Kathy.
The deck has been a popular spot with the whole family over the years. There’s plenty of space to entertain, and a Louvretech roof means it can be used in all weathers.
Meanwhile, Gary got what he’d always wanted – an indoor swimming pool. But putting the heated pool in a wing of the house alongside the triple garage was no mean feat.
“A Fastlane swimming machine from the US pushes out a wall of water to swim against, so you can get a really good workout,” says Gary. “It is like swimming against a current in a river.”
A bathroom has been thoughtfully located next to the pool so you can get straight out the pool and into the shower. Wet towels and togs can be left in the adjoining laundry.
Also on the ground floor level is the entrance lobby with a huge self-closing, pivoting front door that has key-pad entry, and a guest room with en suite and walk-in wardrobe. Upstairs are three further bedrooms, which all have high sloping ceilings.
“I didn’t want them to just have flat, boring ceilings which can make the room look very boxy,” says Kathy.
There’s a generous family bathroom and the master bedroom enjoys the same water views as downstairs. It has a large en suite complete with a walk-in shower with no glass door to clean, and a dedicated make-up area for Kathy. The walk-in wardrobe has plenty of space, along with adjustable shelving.
Outside, the sloping lawn was leveled and given an infinity edge. The garden has been landscaped and includes two magnificent nikau trees and a watering system that runs off an app linked to the weather.
“If it rains, it won’t water the garden,” says Gary.
The family can launch kayaks from the bottom of the garden or watch all the activity on the water, which attracts plenty of paddlers, kayakers and boaties.
42 RENATA CRESCENT, TE ATATU PENINSULA
4-5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 3 garaging
SIZE (more or less): Land 997sq m, house 400sq m.
INSPECT: By appointment only.
TENDER: Closes Jan 31.
SCHOOLS: Matipo Road School, Te Atatu Intermediate, Rutherford College.
CONTACT: Lisa Nielson, Barfoot & Thompson, 021 558 764, and Mark Boyd, 021 244 4774.
