SCHOOL ZONES:
Riverhead Primary, Massey High School.
CONTACT:
Jayne McCall, Bayleys, 021 606 969.
AUCTION:
September 2 (unless sold prior).
In 1956, a visiting seaman from Yorkshire went into the chief post office in Auckland city and asked the man behind the counter for assistance with tracking down a friend in Tauranga.
"Go away and have some lunch," he was told. "In half an hour, come back and go to the second phone booth."
The seaman, Peter LeMasurier, did as he was told, and true to the assistant's word, the phone rang and the friend's mother was on the other end of the line.
While spending time with his friend's family, Peter found himself falling in love with New Zealand and eventually he also fell in love with Sheila, an Irish-born New Zealander who lived in Tauranga.
Their first home together was at Bethells Beach, on Auckland's west coast. Sheila kept the house and land going when Peter was at sea. When the prospect of buying a big block of land with deep water access at Riverhead came up, the pair made a move which has seen them stay put, happily, for almost four decades.
"The roads were stony back then and this was an isolated village," says Sheila. "But we did have a tiny post office and a general store."
Sheila had brought her goats from Bethells but they jumped the fence and ate the neighbour's roses. "We weren't too popular."
In the early days the couple lived in the original house on the site but 13 years ago, having subdivided the section, they decided to build a new brick and tile dwelling.
A large formal lounge lies just inside the front door, via a small lobby, and can be closed off from the combined kitchen, dining and casual living area with sliding doors.
The house has three bedrooms and an office, which could be a fourth bedroom.
A double garage can be reached from the hallway and Sheila loves her laundry room, a luxury that's almost as rare as hens' teeth these days when most people have their washing machine and dryer in a cupboard.
Image 1 of 8: Pop to the famous Riverhead Tavern for a pint or head out on your kayak from this roomy brick and tile beauty
Outside, facing spectacular water views, are two paved patios.
"Our son, Tim, was married out here," says Peter.
At the heart of the neighbourhood and in clear sight of the LeMasuriers' house is the 150-year-old Riverhead Tavern, recently refurbished and still a popular destination for locals and visitors alike.
"I remember when a mate of mine won a big prize in the Art Union lottery many years ago and shouted everybody drinks in the bar," Peter says.
Tim's childhood was idyllic, with loads of time on the water with friends. "He'd go out eeling or fishing in his dinghy and often we didn't see him for hours. One day he came home with 15 snapper," says Sheila.
The pair have decided it's time for a change and they're leaving their options for the future open.
"Peter's 83," says Sheila, "and we want to do something new while we're still fit and active."
