Chance to be beside the seaside

For the last 25 years, Jim and Marlene have lived their retirement dream of sitting back and enjoying life beside the sea.

In 1987, when they were dairy farming on Pukearuhe Rd, north of Urenui, they bought the hillside property located at 2 Sutton Rd, Onaero, with a view to one day retiring there.

What appealed to Jim and Marlene about the small 1950s cottage was its location. Perched atop an elevated site looking down on houses close to the beach front, it offered dramatic views of the Tasman Sea.

Initially, they rented the property out. Then, in 1992, they sold their dairy herd and moved to Sutton Rd.

"I used the proceeds from my half of the sale of the cows to build our double garage and master bedroom/ bed-sitting room upstairs," says Marlene, pointing to an A-frame extension to the original cottage. This was delivered to the property in kitset form.

Circumstances change over time, and as much as Jim and Marlene have enjoyed their retirement home, they are now both in their late seventies and recognise the need to be nearer those services which are available only in the city.

An open-plan lounge, dining room and kitchen lies straight ahead from the front door, while a passage to one side leads to the bedrooms, bathroom, laundry and stairs to the upper storey.

Visitors to Sutton Rd are invariably impressed with the view of the ocean from the lounge. It offers an aerial panorama of the moods of the Tasman Sea - whether it be pounding the rock sea wall in turbulent weather or lapping gently against the man-made barrier in fine spells.

"We've grown used to visitors standing in front of the ranch slider, looking out to sea and then saying something like 'wow!'" says Marlene.

Timber features abound in the open plan kitchen-dining room-lounge, which Jim and Marlene designed themselves. A huge curved china cabinet with a kowhai capping rail encircles the kitchen. The wooden panelling of the china cabinet, cupboards and the wooden flooring come from a single eucalyptus botryoides tree which was planted on the family farm by Jim's grandmother around the turn of the 20th Century.

"It's an ideal kitchen to work in for one person, because everything is within an arm's reach," says Marlene.

Two heat pumps are sufficient to heat the entire home.

A shower-toilet, which does not have a bath but is plumbed for one, is located between the two downstairs single bedrooms, one of which has sea views. Beyond the second bedroom is a laundry with a second toilet and shower at one end.

Pine and rewarewa wood panels line the stairway leading to the master bedroom upstairs.

The layout is practical - a double bed and a partially obscured single bed, works well when family comes to stay.

"We lived up here for six months while they built the kitchen area," says Jim.
The exterior cladding on the original cottage comprises 15mm treated wooden sheeting. It has a batten-on-board look.

The cladding of the A-frame garage and bedroom above is of treated pine and the entire roofing area is iron.

On the seaward side, a winding pathway along a series cascading terraces leads past vegetable gardens and fruit trees to the boundary of the property at the bottom of the hill.

Expressions of Interest close 4pm Wednesday 26th April 2017 (unless sold prior)