Architect and visionary

14 Fern Glen North, St Heliers, Auckland. Photo / Fiona Goodall, Getty Images

14 FERN GLEN NORTH, ST HELIERS

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SIZE: Land 805sq m, house 255sq m

PRICE INDICATION: $2 million.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun noon-12.30pm.

ON THE WEB: rwremuera.co.nz/1421697

SCHOOL ZONES: St Heliers School and Glendowie College.

CONTACT: Steen Nielsen, Ray White, 0275 578 336.

AUCTION: Call agent for details.

In the 1960s John Heaslip and his three young kids used to head down the street from their Woodside Crescent home to nearby Dingle Dell for some fun and fresh air. The walking tracks were only taking shape back then and, thanks to founder Winifred Huggins and her like-minded friends in the St Heliers Beautifying Society, the neglected land was slowly being transformed into a community park.

These "green" visionaries became well-known around Auckland for their efforts. As for Huggins, who also founded the New Zealand Tree Society, a great deal of what she created personally had its origins in the back yard of this place, her home on the opposite site of the Dell from where John lived back then.

John knew nothing of this back then and he could never have foreseen that, 30 years later, he and his wife Jan would be buying the very property from which this energetic woman raised some of her seedlings.

History has it that Huggins, who was awarded a British Empire Medal in 1969 for her work, planted both natives and exotics in Dingle Dell. John, who moved here in the early 1990s is certain that a few of the most mature trees here now began life as young specimens pressed into the soil by her own hands.

Back then she lived in a much older house which was subsequently bought by the architect Richard O'Neill.

He built the rear stand-alone one-bedroom studio to live in while he renovated the main house. But when the economics didn't stack up, he cleared the site and built this two storey cedar-clad home that sits at the top of its elevated perch.

For John and Jan Heaslip, this house was the perfect long-term family home following many years overseas in John's role as an executive and consultant in the international petrochemical industry.

Image 1 of 11: Buying this house brought John Heaslip closer to a piece of his own, and his community's history. Photos / Fiona Goodall, Getty Images

For Jan, a former home science teacher, the scale of the grounds sold her on the house and she has translated her love of design into these re-landscaped gardens. At the front she created the circular lawn. At the back she mapped out the pathways and the raised stone garden beds that come together as the elegant backdrop to the outdoor living and dining areas.

Inside, the view from the dining/living area takes in the wisteria-draped pergola to the studio which is a guest suite/5th bedroom. To the right of the dining area is the kitchen that was remodelled three years ago to include a new granite bench. Close to the large laundry, the kitchen is conveniently located next to the steps down to the family room, which the Heaslips had Richard O'Neill design for them shortly after they bought the house.

The house unfolds over two main levels with two bedrooms and one bathroom on each level plus the powder room up steps by the front door.

In the original pristine bathrooms it is the extensive use of grey and white marble that still impresses John. It runs up to and around the two baths, and, in the case of the downstairs bathroom, it also lines the shower and the floor. "You could see the quality in the place," says John.

John and Jan have chosen to leave behind one piece that was special to them, the Dutch antique rise-and-fall lamp in the entrance. They've also added something more to the history here, introducing their grandchildren to Dingle Dell as the third generation of their family adding their connection to the Winifred Huggins story.