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

Louise Richardson: All set for a fresh start

NZ Herald
22 Aug, 2017 05:00 PM3 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

30 Roberta Ave, Glendowie, Auckland. Photo / Fiona Goodall / Getty Images

30 Roberta Ave, Glendowie, Auckland. Photo / Fiona Goodall / Getty Images

By Louise Richardson

30 Roberta Ave, Glendowie, Auckland. Photo / Fiona Goodall / Getty Images
30 Roberta Ave, Glendowie, Auckland. Photo / Fiona Goodall / Getty Images

Clearing out after their father - well-known former solicitor John Partridge - has been a very satisfying experience for Roger Partridge and his sister, Nicola Storey.

They're two of four Partridge family children (including siblings, Jennifer and Christine), who were raised in the Glendowie family home in Roberta Avenue; a property steeped in history and holding many happy memories.

Back in the 1950s, Kiwi cinema magnate Sir Robert Kerridge subdivided some of the land around his palatial estate nearby and in true Hollywood style dubbed it Beverly Hills.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It was the first sub-division in New Zealand to feature underground powerlines - among a number of other ground-breaking innovations.

John Partridge and his late wife Janet, were quick to take up the chance to build there in Glendowie, and in 1958, their "forever" house began to take shape.

These days, even having had a couple of extensions added over the years, it's still essentially the same, with a perfectly preserved vintage Formica kitchen and plenty more period features besides.

"This was a wonderful place to grow up in," says Roger. "In those days Glendowie, as a suburb, wasn't nearly as built-up as it is today and we kids had a ball with the nearby beach, the mangroves in front of us and a stream that ran behind the house. We always had our dinghy poised and ready for a new adventure."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The house worked exceptionally well for the family, partly because of the enormous basement, which was home to a table tennis table, the children's bikes and a bathroom - plus John's workshop where he loved to potter.

There's also a spa pool and sauna, which were installed in the early 1980s.

Upstairs, the house eventually came to comprise 4-5 bedrooms, some singles, and others generous doubles. There are two bathrooms up there and cupboards galore.

30 Roberta Ave, Glendowie, Auckland. Photo / Fiona Goodall / Getty Images
30 Roberta Ave, Glendowie, Auckland. Photo / Fiona Goodall / Getty Images

The master suite has a nifty ensuite that's essentially one of two halves, and Roger's childhood bedroom still has his treasured sticker collection covering the internal door.

"Stickers were quite rare and sought after then," he says. "We Partridges have really made our mark here."

In addition to the basic layout and abundance of space, the house also boasts quirky features, such as a laundry chute from upstairs to the washing machine in the basement.

With John's move on from his established family seat, the family know changes will be made - and probably pretty extensive ones.

30 Roberta Ave, Glendowie, Auckland. Photo / Fiona Goodall / Getty Images
30 Roberta Ave, Glendowie, Auckland. Photo / Fiona Goodall / Getty Images

Apart from anything else, the land area is generous, which makes the prospect of redevelopment very attractive to a potential buyer.

"Dad understands that somebody will make their own mark and move the house into the 21st century, but he really doesn't mind. He's quite philosophical about it all now," says Nicola.

"We love this place as it's a big part of our family history and we all have so many lovely memories - plus hundreds of photographs - to document the happy times we spent here. That's the most precious thing of all."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
30 Roberta Ave, Glendowie, Auckland. Photo / Fiona Goodall / Getty Images
30 Roberta Ave, Glendowie, Auckland. Photo / Fiona Goodall / Getty Images

Roger adds that a few years ago, scouts for Cadbury chocolate scoured the suburb for a location to film a nostalgia-themed commercial, and hit solid gold with John Partridge and his classic Kiwi kitchen.

"They said that it was almost perfect but that they needed to replace the modern fridge for the shoot; finding something that was of the period.

"My father simply said, 'No worries; the original 1950s one is still downstairs, and it's going like a charm'. And so it was!"

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Property

Property

Watch: 'My raging backyard river' - North Shore homeowner fears stormwater torrent

11 Jul 06:00 AM
New Zealand

Watch: Shore homeowner fears raging backyard river, council says it can’t pipe stormwater

Property

NZ’s UFO house for sale - Starship Enterprise meets Bond villain lair

11 Jul 03:30 AM

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

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Property

Watch: 'My raging backyard river' - North Shore homeowner fears stormwater torrent

Watch: 'My raging backyard river' - North Shore homeowner fears stormwater torrent

11 Jul 06:00 AM

'Land eroding, health and safety of young kids has been at risk for the last three years'.

Watch: Shore homeowner fears raging backyard river, council says it can’t pipe stormwater

Watch: Shore homeowner fears raging backyard river, council says it can’t pipe stormwater

NZ’s UFO house for sale - Starship Enterprise meets Bond villain lair

NZ’s UFO house for sale - Starship Enterprise meets Bond villain lair

11 Jul 03:30 AM
Legal hook means buyers risk losing thousands on Kāinga Ora homes

Legal hook means buyers risk losing thousands on Kāinga Ora homes

10 Jul 11:23 PM
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