CONTACT:
Jared Hards, 021 865 325; or Julie Sayers, 021 118 9636, Ray White.
AUCTION:
Sat 8 April, on site, 1.30pm.
The true measure of a community can be gauged during life's most trying moments.
And when the people of Mangere Bridge learned that long-term resident tattoo artist Gordon Toi needed his leg amputated after a motorbike accident last year, they rallied behind him and his family.
There were reports, too, in the media of performer Ben Harper and league legend Tawera Nikau showing him support.
"Those flash fellas are okay," says Gordon, now walking again with a prosthetic, "but what has really blown me and my wife away is the support the local community has given us."
Gordon has lived in Mangere Bridge for close to 25 years; his wife Yvanca Clarisse has lived here since she moved from the Netherlands in 2003.
But finding a property to buy in the seaside suburb with a house, space for his House of Natives tattoo studio, and parking for clients wasn't an easy task until they came to view 69A McIntyre Rd.
They could convert the large garage into Gordon's home studio, there was the front gravel area for parking - and, of course, the 1980s wooden house that is reached by a long driveway, which affords them privacy.
They bought the home in February 2010. Now their 3-year old son Tumanako also calls it home.
"I am originally from the Hokianga, up north," says Gordon.
"And I thought if I could own my own home, I would like to have somewhere that wasn't like your typical Auckland house, it would be a house where you could relax.
"We get a lot of feedback from clients and family members that they love it here, there is a settled, calm feeling."
The couple have increased the sense of privacy by landscaping the property and building covered decks - one at the back of the house, the other at the front. The rear deck has a spa.
69A McIntyre Road, Mangere. Photo / Supplied
"That spa pool is right outside the master bedroom," says Gordon. "In the middle of winter, when it is hosing down and freezing cold, you jump in there and it's amazing. And it is private."
The house has the master and another bedroom plus living room looking over the back lawn and garden.
At the front of the house are a third bedroom, dining, kitchen and bathroom. Another exterior bathroom is on the front deck next to the studio.
For winter warmth, there's a heat pump and a circulation system.
Gordon has an extensive CV, starting as a traditional wood carver who made the transition to ta moko (Maori tattoo design). He is also an actor (Snakeskin, The Piano), set designer (Whale Rider) and expert in mau rakau (traditional Maori weaponry).
"You have to be diverse if you want to survive as an artist in this country," he says.
His artistic skills show through in his confident use of colour throughout the home.
"We have brown, red, black and white. Those are the theme colours carried through the house and the whole property. The plants highlight those colours and bring it alive," he says.
"The house reflects some of the places I have been to around the world and the different cultures I have experienced," says Gordon.
"It has a lot of inspiration from places like Bali, Thailand," says Yvanca. "It has a great indoor outdoor flow especially with the deck we have out the front. And the spa pool area. It has a holiday feel when you are sitting out there.
The couple are selling so they can move to Nelson.
"In my current condition, somewhere a little bit more relaxed by the sea seems to be the place to start all over again. And we have a 3-year-old who will soon be turning 4."
