16 Matai Rd, Greenlane, Auckland. Photo / Ted Baghurst
By Donna Fleming
Nearly 60 years ago John and Rosalie Walsh were looking for a bigger home for their expanding family when they got chatting at a dance to a couple they knew.
The husband and wife were selling their home in Greenlane, and the Walshes were immediately interested.
A handshake on the dance floor sealed the deal, and 16 Matai Rd went on to become a treasured family home for several generations.
"It was a lot easier buying and selling a home back in those days," says Rosalie.
Now a lively 92-year-old, she and John, who passed away six years ago, brought up their six children in the spacious villa.
Family have come and gone over the years. John's mum moved into a bedsit attached to the house, and ended up living there for 21 years.
In 1979 daughter Melda moved back into the home with her daughter and later bought into the property. She still lives there with her mum today.
"It really has been a family home in the truest sense of the word," says Melda. "And it would be lovely to see another family enjoy it like we have."
Rosalie and Melda are downsizing and moving closer to other relatives, so the time has come for a whole new set of happy memories to be created in the house.
It could do with updating, and the new owners may want to change the colour scheme.
"We're a family who like a lot of colour," says Melda, acknowledging the liberal use of purple, green, yellow and blue.
But it has beautiful period features such as high board and batten ceilings, ornate woodwork and sash windows.
Built around 1908 from kauri, the house also features brass door knobs, a stunning herringbone parquet floor in the living room that John and Rosalie had laid not long after moving in, and original features including a light fitting attached to a pulley system weighted by lead shot.
The layout has stayed pretty much the same over the years. There's a spacious entrance foyer and either side of it, two generous bedrooms.
One has ornate fretwork and a fireplace and the other, used by Melda, is so roomy that when her daughter and family recently came to stay from Melbourne, there was space for them to squeeze in a queen bed, a single bed, and a double cot.
A third bedroom is smaller but still has room for a queen-sized bed.
The kitchen/diner hasn't been modernised for some time but has worked well, says Melda. A laundry with an extra shower could be converted into a large butler's pantry.
The bedsit includes a bathroom and kitchenette and its own entry, via french doors, so could also make a great home office.
A favourite room is the sunroom, which is accessed from the lounge and master bedroom.
Meanwhile, John's happy place was the workshop area in the garage, where he spent many hours creating beautiful stained glass windows and art works.
There was always plenty of room to play in the front garden but the children and grandchildren have also spent a lot of time at nearby Cornwall Park, says Rosalie.
It's just a short stroll along peaceful Matai Rd to Great South Rd with all its amenities, including frequent buses, and also an easy walk to the Greenlane rail station.
The mortgage is just the start of it.