The view from the kitchen window at 345 East Coast Rd follows the valley down towards the ocean, a scene that 50 years ago was dotted with cows instead of rooftops.
This house was owned by lifetime Mairangi Bay resident John Maxwell, who died in January 2011, leaving a legacy of dairy farming, road-building and property development.
A pair of his rubber work boots still sits by the back door, under a pinboard covered in family photos, historic pictures of the farm and a painting of the valley by his wife Betty.
John Maxwell's father and grandfather were kauri gum merchants, and also dealt in building supplies. John decided to use the land for dairy farming instead.
In 1945 he returned from the Second World War and bought 40ha of what is now the suburb of Mairangi Bay, from Maxwell relatives. He later added a 20ha block in Murrays Bay.
Having spent the early years of their marriage living in the old farmhouse, in 1962 John and Betty Maxwell built their dream house on what was then the farm paddock. The farmhouse, sold years ago and modernised, is still visible over the back fence.
John and Betty's daughter, Susan Maxwell-Skinner, is helping her three siblings put their parents' house in order and preparing to say goodbye to this important piece of North Shore history.
Mrs Maxwell-Skinner, who now lives mainly in California, says the house was full of memorabilia from the three generations of Maxwells who lived in the valley.
She says it's sad to see the brick and weatherboard house slowly being emptied of its treasures as the tender date draws near.
"There's a possibility that whoever purchases it will tear it down, but that's something we have to accept."
She recalls the hard life of dairy farmers like her father, who were contracted to supply a set amount of milk, seven days a week, all year round. "Every morning the farm dog brought the cows down from Sunrise Avenue, along East Coast Rd, back to the barn for milking.
"My father farmed here for a number of years while at the same time developing a skill for road building. He built Forest Hill Rd, all the roads in this area, and had a builders' supply shop right here next to the cow shed," she says gesturing at the driveway.
He also named many of the roads he built. Sunrise Ave was a partner for Sunset Road; Theodora Street was named for his uncle Theodore; and Mayfair Crescent was inspired by a desirable property from family games of Monopoly.
The Maxwell home garden is full of native trees, which Susan explains were a passion of her father. "All through the 60s he planted them alongside the roads he built. He even planted them alongside roads he didn't build."
When the Auckland harbour bridge opened in 1959, everything changed.
"All these wonderful farms with their panoramic views were rezoned residential so it became impossible to continue milking a herd on land where the rates were very high."