NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Property

<EM>Western Springs:</EM> Love at first sight

20 May, 2005 12:50 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Betty and Charles have restored the house in traditional villa style.

Betty and Charles have restored the house in traditional villa style.

A twist of fate brought a woman to the home of her dreams, writes Penny Lewis
4 Springfield Rd, Western Springs

Betty Atkin-Cook was so excited when she first saw her house-to-be in Western Springs that she ran through the rooms in delight even before the real estate agent had
made it to the front door.

That was 30 years ago, and even though the house was derelict, she says it was perfect.

Betty and her family had moved down to Auckland from a farm a few years before. They intended settling in Howick, "but we found it was all either huge mansions or small bachs, so we moved to Panmure instead," Betty recalls.

They spent nine years in Panmure, but Betty felt restless and says she always had the urge to keep looking for the house she'd dreamed about when she was 12 years old.

The day she found her house, she was out with an agent who asked her if she wouldn't mind stopping by to see it as he hadn't been through it yet. "We drove around the corner and when I saw it, my heart went boom! I thought 'Is this my house? Is this my house? Please tell me it is!"' Even though the house was on a lean, it was exactly the dream home she'd always imagined and she said she'd take it. It cost $10,000, which was an exceptionally low price at the time because of the work needed to make it liveable.

Betty, her husband, one daughter and foster daughters moved in and began renovations lasting 12 years. Now a comfortable and charming family home with traditional-style decor, the 1908 double bay villa had seen better days 30 years ago, when squatters had dossed down with scant regard for the paintwork.

"My Uncle Waldo said we'd bought in the slums, but everything around here was being rejuvenated then. He would have been so proud if he'd lived to see what we'd done with it," Betty says. She sourced exquisite kauri facings and joinery from a local house to match existing timber. There's even kauri sarking behind the plaster board walls. "It's a very warm house, especially given its size," Betty says.

One Easter, a couple of years after moving in, Betty says all she could hear in the neighbourhood was the sound of home handymen wielding hammers and saws.

"I decided to walk down the street and ask everyone I could hear around for a barbecue. And they came!" Betty speculates that Western Springs' great sense of community comes from its location. It's like an island, bordered by the north-western motorway, Fowlds Park, Chamberlain Park golf course, Auckland Zoo and Motat.

Over the years, Betty has had plenty of people stay, including overseas students, and the house has been a busy venue for 21st birthdays and several weddings. Even the grand-daughter of the original owners, Mr and Mrs Dick, was married there.

Betty also entertained the Dicks' daughters, who were ladies in their 80s, with a traditional high tea. "They went around the house like excited children, rattling door knobs and reminiscing."

Betty has put her heart and soul into the garden, which is spread over a spacious 969sq m section. A paved entertaining area behind the house is a prime spot where Betty and husband Charles Cook entertain during the summer.

With five bedrooms, two bathrooms and a self-contained sleep-out, the house is perfect for a family. Betty and Charles are moving to Mangawhai, to a smaller house with a garden to tame. It's been an emotional decision.

"I love this house to death. I've shed a few tears and have been walking around, stroking the walls," Betty admits.

"But it's time for a new life, a new step."

Vital Statistics


SIZE: Land 969sq m, house 188sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Similar properties in the area have sold for $870,000 to $1.1 million.

INSPECT: Saturday/Sunday 4-4.45pm. Auction May 22, 5pm.

CONTACT: Lesley Hawes, Ray White Mt Albert, phone 021 482 799.

FEATURES: Landmark 1908 double bay villa, paved outdoor entertaining area, large sunny section, beautiful garden, self-contained sleep-out, restored kauri detailing and decorated in traditional villa style. Single garage with off-street parking for 4 cars.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Property

Property

'OMG, it was nuts': Buyer snaps up house within 24 hours of seeing it

03 Jul 07:14 AM
Property

NZ's biggest luxury apartment for sale - what $7m gets you

03 Jul 07:05 AM
Property

Helicopter pilot's off-grid Taupō cabin draws international interest

03 Jul 06:55 AM

Audi offers a sporty spin on city driving with the A3 Sportback and S3 Sportback

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Property

'OMG, it was nuts': Buyer snaps up house within 24 hours of seeing it

'OMG, it was nuts': Buyer snaps up house within 24 hours of seeing it

03 Jul 07:14 AM

Modern home sells for almost $300,000 above its reserve.

NZ's biggest luxury apartment for sale - what $7m gets you

NZ's biggest luxury apartment for sale - what $7m gets you

03 Jul 07:05 AM
Helicopter pilot's off-grid Taupō cabin draws international interest

Helicopter pilot's off-grid Taupō cabin draws international interest

03 Jul 06:55 AM
'Special ceiling': sun and moon art adorn new Auckland train station

'Special ceiling': sun and moon art adorn new Auckland train station

03 Jul 03:00 AM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP