Thelma McGough gave her husband Bruce Rotherham a checklist when they were house-hunting 19 years ago: it had to be in St Marys Bay, have a view of the city and decks where they could eat breakfast and lunch. "And I said I didn't want one of those brown cedar houses."
She then went back home to the UK to tie up loose ends before moving to New Zealand permanently to be with Kiwi Bruce. "He found the perfect house ... well almost," she laughs. "It was in St Marys Bay, it had the view and the decks. And, of course, it was brown cedar."
She's glad she didn't let the cladding put her off (although a change of colour was required, with brown giving way to a white-grey). "It has been such a wonderful home to live in," she says. "I've loved living here so much."
New Zealand is a world away from Thelma's roots. She grew up in Liverpool, and as a teenager she became part of rock 'n' roll history. While at art school she dated John Lennon. "I was his first girlfriend," she says. "He and his friends Paul (McCartney) and George (Harrison) used to sit around singing together. I thought he could be famous one day but never expected what happened with the Beatles."