When Matt and Sarah Lamb visited 26 Ngaiwi Street in Orakei, Auckland City for the first time, they took one look at the view and immediately said, “We’re buying it!”
“We were captivated by the view and knew we absolutely had to have it. It wasn’t until after we agreed on the price that we walked through the house itself,” recalls Matt.
Although they couldn’t save the existing 100-year-old home, they did connect with a granddaughter of the original owners who retrieved some treasured items.
“It was clearly a well-loved home back in the day with some happy memories, so we were excited to build our own,” says Sarah.
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The pair engaged a local architect to design a modern family home.
The result is what Matt describes as a “face-frontal” home, where all the living areas face the pool and the panoramic view of the city, marina and beyond. The home effortlessly evolves depending on the mood, the weather, and the occasion.
“The living spaces flow effortlessly out to the pool which basically blends into the view, while the central courtyard can be opened to the sun or closed off with louvres and the fireplace and heaters turned on when the weather is cooler.
“When we’ve got lots of people here, we just open the sliders and everything flows into each other. It’s a wonderful place for entertaining.”
The Ngaiwi Street home has four bedrooms, three bathrooms and garaging for two vehicles contained on a compact 504sqm section.
The modern kitchen is an entertainer’s delight and the architectural staircase was not for the fainthearted when it was installed.
The home has been perfect for Matt and Sarah’s family of three pre-teens and teenagers.
“We built this home to be social. Living here with teenagers – and entertaining all their friends – has been easy because there’s so much space but everyone can come together too.
“From giant family Christmas dinners to our daughter’s pre-ball with all her friends plus all their parents – this house has handled it all.”
An architectural staircase “which wasn’t for the fainthearted for how heavy it was when it was installed”, Matt laughs, leads up to level one, where the master bedroom gazes across uninterrupted city and sea views.
“Honestly, every day we pinch ourselves. The sunsets here are incredible. Just last night my daughter said, ‘Dad, come and look at the sunset’, and the whole city looked like it was on fire.
“Once the sun goes down, the view turns into something completely different. The Christmas tree of city lights turns on, the lights from the harbour bridge, PWC building and the Sky Tower do their thing – it really is an unbeatable view that changes constantly.”
All the living areas face the pool and the view of the city, marina and beyond.
The central courtyard can be opened to the sun or closed off with louvres and the fireplace and heaters turned on when the weather is cooler.
Bayleys agent Myles Cleave, who is marketing this property, says this calibre of home comes rarely comes to market in such a sought-after Auckland location.
“It’s rare to buy a virtually brand-new home that has had this level of care and attention put into its design and construction,” he says.
“It enjoys great proximity to the city, and of course you have one of the most phenomenal views of Auckland City. You really can’t fault this property.”
For Matt and his family, it’s time for a new project – with a proviso.
“This was meant to be our forever home, but I’ve realised I love a project,” says Matt.
“However, the kids are refusing point-blank to let me do another new build after we did this one through Covid. But I do love architecture and design, and I’m excited to see what we end up doing next.”
26 Ngaiwi Street in Orakei, Auckland, is for sale by auction on April 2.
- Sponsored by Bayleys
