Herald Homes. 54 Willerton Ave, New Lynn, Auckland, home of Dan Mace and Rona Osbourne, with daughters Huia (eldest) and Ngaio Osbourne. Photograph / Fiona Goodall
Herald Homes. 54 Willerton Ave, New Lynn, Auckland, home of Dan Mace and Rona Osbourne, with daughters Huia (eldest) and Ngaio Osbourne. Photograph / Fiona Goodall
SCHOOL ZONES:
Blockhouse Bay Intermediate, Kelston Girls’ High.
CONTACT:
Lyn Lacy-Hauck, Ray White, 0211 900 611.
AUCTION:
Nov 11.
*Off-street parking
Artist Rona Osborne took a look at this 1920s cottage with its original kauri floors peeking out from under the awful bright blue carpet and thought, "Wow, potential", though partner Dan Mace took a bit longer to convince.
"Dan thought, 'What have we done?'" when they bought it, says Rona, but that was 12 years ago and he long ago fell for the house they call Arohanui, or, "lots of love -- the house of love."
Says Dan, a graphic designer and animator: "It was pretty tired when we first bought it -- it had been messed with a bit. It had been built as a house then at some point in its life it had been divided into two flats and then it had been undivided, then we bought it and it was like this hideous yellow colour.
"There was no fence, it was just a tatty hedge with chicken wire all through it and grass and concrete steps up to the front door."
The pair set to work, while raising their two girls, to transform the house not to its old glory but "to a new glory".
Before they leave they will have made the final touches, including putting in big decks front, back and side. On the side they built two studios to work from home, which could convert to bedrooms.
The studios are joined to each other and the house by a large, covered deck with exposed beams reflective of the architecture of the marae. This space is framed by a large, glass sliding door -- the whole area is fantastic for gatherings, the couple says.
The lounge still has the original fireplace but the day they took possession they knocked down a wall to give open flow down one side of the house, all the way to the new entertainer's kitchen.
Image 1 of 8: An artistic couple have transformed their haphazard New Lynn cottage into a sociable, family friendly home.
The old blue carpet is long gone and the kauri floors are in full glory. They're not polished as the couple prefer a natural, oiled look.
On the other side of the lounge is the wide hallway, leading to three bedrooms, a laundry and the bathroom -- and there's an attic with a pull-down ladder.
Outside they planted natives so there are nikau, kowhai, grasses and a pohutukawa, all well established, and there is pittosporum hedging providing privacy.
There are some quirky touches, too -- such as the bath plumbed into the back deck which they call "a poor man's spa pool" and which they say is lovely to sit in at night when the stars are out.
Deciding to leave has not been easy, but the couple says the time is right with children Huia, 19, and Ngaio, 14, ready to make the move to Northland.
The family are heading to just past the Waipoua Forest, where Rona is from, where they have family land.
There they plan to build an eco-friendly house at the end of a winding road in the bush surrounded by kokako and kiwi -- "You go past the big tree and we're the next on the right," says Dan.
He also says the timing is right regarding technology. Their Ponsonby store is online now and they will be able to work remotely from the north, plus they hope to build a couple of eco retreats for family and paying guests.
"It hasn't been an easy decision," says Rona. "It's just that this house is in Auckland and we're ready to leave Auckland. But I'd love to take the house with me."
