When Alex York and his wife Lynda moved to New Zealand from Australia, living near the beach was at the top of their list of must-haves.
Only slightly lower down the list was being within easy walking distance of St Heliers village. 9 Kaimata Street in St Heliers, Auckland City ticked all of the Yorks’ boxes.
Five minutes from the water, a short stroll away from the village, and with plenty of room for their 13-year-old daughter and Lynda’s parents, the home enjoys lovely views out to Rangitoto Island and the sparkling Waitematā Harbour and facilitates a wonderfully relaxed lifestyle.
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9 Kaimata Street in Auckland's St Heliers has five bedrooms, three bathrooms and garaging for three vehicles. Photo / Supplied
And the location is even better.
“St Heliers is just a beautiful part of Auckland,” says Alex York.
“We were already living close by, but it was a 20-minute walk to the beach. Now we’re only five minutes’ walk away so we can take our dog down there, grab a coffee on the way, and enjoy the wide-open spaces. It’s idyllic, really.”
Before moving in in September 2020, the Yorks did a total renovation, including reconfiguring the kitchen, replacing all the fittings, fixtures, and tiles in the bathrooms, putting in new carpet, repainting the interior, putting Plantation-style shutters on the windows, installing a ducted heating system and retrofitted double glazing, and installing an external water filter.
The current homeowners did a full renovation of the home before they moved in in September 2020. Photo / Supplied
“The home had been rented out for a number of years, so it was pretty tired,” says York.
“We made it more comfortable and stylish for modern living and the way our family likes to live. And we’re really happy with the outcome; it’s just been so easy to live here.”
Five roomy bedrooms make inter-generational living easy too.
“Having so much room has worked out really well. Lynda’s parents have one bedroom and we have converted another into a lounge so they can have their own space and live quite separately. Because we’re so close to everything, it has been easy for them to get out and about too.”
The home has easily accommodated inter-generational living with spacious bedrooms and multiple living spaces. Photo / Supplied
Bayleys agent Lorraine Young, who is marketing this property, says 9 Kaimata Street is a very special property.
“It enjoys a commanding elevated position with views that can’t be built out,” she says.
“The home is just metres from the village green and five minutes from the sand. The layout is fantastic with bedrooms divided into two wings which is brilliant for families looking for extra space.
“Triple garaging creates so many options downstairs, and motion detector lights softly come on and fade out which creates an elegant environment. The vendors have done an incredible job at transforming this property.”
The home enjoys views that can't be built out and is just metres from the village green and five minutes from the beach. Photo / Supplied
It’s the Yorks’ love of family that has prompted a move back to Australia and a reluctant sale of their beautiful home.
“When we moved to New Zealand, our intention was to go back to Sydney regularly to visit family,” says York.
“But with the borders being closed, we’ve missed out on a lot of time that we can’t ever get back. If we could take this house with us, we would. But my outlook on life has changed significantly over the last few years. You never know what’s going to happen in life.
“We’ve realised that family is what’s important for us. Whoever gets to call this place theirs next will love it here and we’ll really miss St Heliers, but moving home is just right.”
9 Kaimata Street in St Heliers, Auckland will be sold at auction on April 13.
