Just had an RSS feed from the Auckland Council that’s worth taking note of.  With the rainy season ahead of us – oh yippee! – there’ll be lots of extra stormwater running onto our beaches and out to sea. We love the beach lifestyle here on the Shore – the longest urban coastline in NZ – and we need to keep it clean and beautiful. Washing your car on the lawn (or at a designated carwash facility) keeps that filth and detergent out of our swimming beaches and streams. Take a look at the council article on how to preserve our coastline and waterways.

This is a house that demands to be noticed. Sitting in prime position on the corner of Katui Street and Seaview Road, the property has awesome views over Milford Beach, Milford Marina and Lake Pupuke, as well as the lights of downtown Auckland. The Hauraki Gulf, with Rangitoto Island taking centre stage, is framed by a quaint, historic church and a pohutukawa tree, stunning in its crimson Christmas flourish.

The front garden is whimsical, with formal topiaried trees and clipped edges arranged in an asymmetrical pattern. There is a sense of abundance and fun about the landscaping which is echoed in the interior. Plush red carpet and tafetta drapes, parquette flooring and gold accents. Built in the 1970s, this is one of those big, solid-as-a-rock brick and block homes with sprawling open plan living rooms, a generous kitchen where friends and family gather, 4 double bedrooms, 3 modern bathrooms, a spa pool in the conservatory, and a rumpus room for the growing teens.The big, glorious views are supported by a big, spacious home. Both are larger than life, vibrant, exciting and energising…

What I really like though is that this is a family home, with space for veges, a lawn to play on and tons of opportunity for the ordinary things of family life. Close by is the beach ( Castor Bay has a great network of paths leading to down to the shore), the marina, the shops and, of course, the schools that make this area so sought after. It’s easy to get to work, the motorway and public transport are close by, and the booming commercial areas of Takapuna, Milford and Smales Farm are right at hand.

Homes in Katui Street don’t come to the market very often and astute buyers looking for position in the dress circle of Castor Bay should act now. This home is to be sold on 26 January, 2011, so do not delay. The seller’s life has changed and this home is now in the past as they find a new future. Make their sacrifice your gain.

For more information and photo gallery, click here

Child's view of Kennedy Park

Spent a few hours wandering around the much improved Kennedy Park with its fabulous climbing rope adventure playground, and brand new steps leading down to the Castor Bay back beach. Formerly known as Red Bluff,  the park has superb views across the Hauraki Gulf, and you can walk along to Rahopara Pa, where you can still see evidence of gardens and kumara pits dating back to the early 1800s. There’s a petanque court on a lower, sheltered part of the park, new members welcome!

The observation post has been upgraded and is regularly used by local clubs and for community events such as the “Memories of Castor Bay” display for Heritage Week. The history behind this area is vast and interesting (both European and Maori). The gun emplacement was disguised as a holiday home when it was built in 1942 – they didn’t want to attract the wrong kind of attention. The WWII battery tunnels have also had a makeover recently and are now open for public tours (1-4 pm on the second Sunday of each month, starting from 15 November 2010 – contact John Crews for details on 550 8391). Campbells Bay Primary students have created a website about the history of Kennedy Park and Rahopara Pa – click here to read all about it.

The beach below Kennedy Park

Little Shoal Bay, between Northcote Point and Birkenhead Point, is a little backwater and somewhat untouched part of the Shore. With its delapidated boat sheds, overhanging pohutukawa trees and views across the harbour to Auckland city, it’s a romantic spot to share an early evening picnic, amble around the rocks and watch the busy world from afar. Summer days are just gorgeous here and the swimming is good at high tide. There’s a playground to keep the littlies happy, or you can launch a dinghy and take a leisurely row around the inner harbour. The Harbour Bridge looks completely different and really interesting from this angle.

A Milford beachfront home, designed by architect John D’Anvers, is one of approximately 55, high profile New Zealand properties being showcased by Harcourts Cooper and Co to the international market at the World Expo in Shanghai, China, in August 2010. The elegant, five bedroom home has been owned by the same family since it was built approximately ten years ago, and is now being offered for sale on the open market. Tucked discreetly away from the road, the home sits in an elevated position at the Black Rock end of Milford beach, with sweeping views of the Hauraki Gulf and islands, and the beach and ancient lava rock formations just beyond the bluestone wall.

John D’Anvers specialises in Pacific-style architecture, and this home has the feel of a luxury island resort, with the waters of the Pacific Ocean lapping not far from your door. Bifold doors and windows in the living rooms and master bedroom open to allow the gentle Pacific breeze to flow through the house, and the sound of water is ever present. The moods of this coastal environment are in constant flux – sometimes sultry and relaxed, at other times turbulent and invigorating – and the design of the home reflects this diversity. It is at once grand and homely, a place to entertain important guests, and a family home where memories are forged. This is a structure that blends the elegance and sensuality of a sweeping curved staircase with the rough and tumble of a mega-sized games and media room where your children can chill out with their friends and family parties will be the stuff of legend.
This is undoubtedly the best place to live in Auckland. What could be better than the clean, safe swimming beaches of the North Shore, the white sand and the waves, the beachfront walkway and easy proximity to some of the best schools and shopping precincts in New Zealand. God’s own indeed!

Click here for more information, and open home times.

To view now, call Tony White on 0800 61 8888

Tony and I have kayaked to Rangitoto on 2 occasions – once in tandem kayaks  and then in our own individual kayaks, and I can really recommend it for a great day’s outing. If you’re not feeling super energetic, then grab a mate and go tandem. It’ll take roughly 45 minutes to get across to Rangitoto (watch out for big boats as you cross the channel). While it’s great to do this during the summer months, and have a swim when you get to the island, the winter days are often sunny and settled, and the trip can be just as satisfying.

You must take a picnic lunch and plenty of water with you, and relax on the beach when you get to Rangitoto (there are no shops!) We generally walk to the top and enjoy the views over the Hauraki Gulf. It’s a pleasant walk and can round off the day very nicely.

If you’re new to kayaking, and you don’t own one, you can hire a kayak from Canoe and Kayak North Shore (based in Constellation Drive) and you can even take kayaking lessons from them if you want to build up some confidence first.

Stand Up Paddling (SUP) is the latest thing in waterbased sport and recreation and it’s growing in popularity as punters realise the health benefits as well as the joys of this pursuit. What better way to enjoy a beautiful day on the North Shore than to paddle a long board around the bays? You can do it any time of year (some of the most beautiful, calm days are in the middle of winter), and you set your own pace.

Mark Jackson is a local boy who has spent the past 25 years perfecting and competing in this sport all over the Pacific. He has set up a business importing the special boards for SUP, and you can check out the goods on offer on his website. Mark has recently written an article on SUP in the first issue of Channel magazine which gives a good insight into the sport.

Taking anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes to walk, the coastal pathway from Milford Beach to the boat ramp at Takapuna is well worth the time. Taking in Black Rock, Thorne Bay and NZ’s only example of a fossil forest, the walk is a fascinating geological landscape.

Around 100,000 years ago, Lake Pupuke was a volcanic crater which erupted, covering the coastal forest of kauri, pohutukawa and various broadleaf trees with hot lava. The trees turned to cinders and the area between O’Neill’s and Brett Avenue has wonderful examples of fossilised tree trunks. It’s best to do the walk at low tide when the fossil forest is completely exposed. The rock pools are a source of fascination for children and the views over the Hauraki Gulf magnificent.

Much of the walk is formed concrete paths, but the odd patch is more of a rocky scramble – quite safe as long as you take care. I spent the first years of my life in and around this coastal playground as my father was the local Postmaster and we lived in the historic Post Office in Earnoch Avenue. The coastal walk is a showcase of historic and architecturally significant Takapuna homes. One of these is Merkesworth Castle, built in 1926 by Scotsman Captain John Algie and retained by the Algie Family until quite recently. The Giant’s Chair, built of local volcanic rock, was also commissioned by Captain Algie and is a curious and delightful aspect of the walk.

The area is abundant in sealife and one morning at 6.00am I watched a school of orca swim by just 50 metres from the rocks. You may be lucky to see them again as the orca in Auckland are a family group that patrol from The Far North to the Hauraki Gulf chasing sting ray, sometimes right up the Waitemata Harbour as far as Beach Haven.

Finish your walk by treating yourself to a delicious gelato from the Takapuna Beach Cafe and Store

Download a copy of the NSCC information booklet on the coastal walk: