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.
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."
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.
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.
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."
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!"
