Gem worth polishing in Herne Bay

10 Salisbury Street, Herne Bay. Photo / Ted Baghurst

10 SALISBURY ST HERNE BAY

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SIZE: Land 1255sq m, house 181sq m (approx).

PRICE INDICATION: CV (2008) $2.5 million. Auction December 15 (unless sold prior).

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 12pm-1pm, Wed 6pm-7pm or by prior appointment.

ON THE WEB: www.barfoot.co.nz/ 445576

SCHOOL ZONES: Bayfield Primary, Ponsonby Intermediate, Western Springs College. Auckland Girls' Grammar School.

CONTACT: Bob Gordon, Barfoot & Thompson St Heliers, ph 575 9079 or 0274 759 025.

FEATURES: Big near-original circa- 1900 Herne Bay villa largely unmodified since the 1950s. On generous near- level northern slopes' grounds in a quiet no-exit street. Superb renovation ingredients with bull-nose return veranda, high stud, marble fireplaces, kauri floorboards, sash windows and some leadlights.

Conjure up a vision of what you imagine a Herne Bay property owner sitting in their multi-million-dollar property is like. Now prepare to kiss it goodbye, as you're introduced to spritely 87-year-old Agnes Heeney (pictured) and her bona fide circa-1900 villa.

She cheerily potters around in northern slopes sunshine in a lovely purple cardigan and a home that's nearly as original as she is. Her largely unmodified villa on 1255sq m of near-level grounds comes complete with original kitchen meat-safe, plenty of scrim walls and a CV of $2.5 million.

"I've been here so long that I just don't think about it being worth all that money" says Agnes, "although I will say the rates have gone up a fair bit over the years."

Early modifications gave the old return veranda villa an inside toilet. But not much has changed since Agnes' late Mother, Louise Sasse, purchased it in 1954 for £8000. It's now a diamond in the rough, waiting for someone to polish kauri-laden floors and construction and restore glory hinted at by marble fireplaces and a bank of leadlight windows.

For Agnes, it's a home steeped in loving memories, where her children did much of their growing up. Her widowed Mother Louise had been a successful businesswoman in Samoa. Louise had another daughter already living in New Zealand when she immigrated in the early 50s, bringing Agnes, a niece and a foster daughter. "I think Mother liked this house because she was used to having lots of space," says Agnes. "First of all we lived in Wanganui Ave in Ponsonby but she couldn't stand the houses being so close to each other."

While living in Wanganui Ave, Agnes wed her beloved husband of 57 years, Irish-born Pat Heeney, who passed away in October in his 100th year. The couple left Auckland for 12 years and had six children before moving their Catholic family into this villa in 1967 to look after Louise, whose health was failing.

Agnes' eyes twinkle recounting a particular priest seeing the villa's size and exclaiming, "You need a motorbike to get from one end of this house to the other!"

The villa's about halfway down no-exit Salisbury St, which oozes quiet refinement. It has a fine bull-nose return veranda. And the finial above the villa's gable end still stands proudly, emulated by a trio of brick chimneys.

Agnes' eldest daughter Anne (also pictured) describes sumptuous velvet curtains hanging from the high-stud hallway's decorative arch when she grew up. An earlier owner was a stonemason, probably explaining marble-surround fireplaces in two north-facing rooms. The living room's marble surround exhibits Art Deco lines and a bank of lovely old leadlights with a grape motif.

These two rooms plus a big bedroom and a sunroom opening to a rear deck all have connecting doors.

Across the hall are three more double bedrooms, one with another traditional fireplace. Then there's a little dining room and a kitchen complete with in-wall meat safe, tilt-out potato bins and a marble bench-top which cracked long ago. The modest rear extension housing the bathroom and separate toilet was probably added in the 1940s.

Outside stairs lead to the under-house laundry. There's an old Deco-style double rear garage in the big grounds where the Heeney children grew up playing cricket, refereed by Pat. He decided to paint once when Agnes was away on holiday, resulting in the eye-catching blue and lime kitchen and the vivid yellow and mint dining room.

Agnes, who turns 88 this month, has her eldest son living with her but will be moving into a retirement village. She pooh-poohs suggestions the property's sale will see her shopping for the designer duds or luxury cars popular in her neighbourhood. "But I've always had second-hand furniture so I might treat myself to a new lounge suite."