To Grey Lynn, with love

6 Old Mill Rd Grey Lynn. Photo / Ted Baghurst

6 OLD MILL RD GREY LYNN

3

2

1*

* + 1 off streeet

SIZE: Land 520sq m, house 120sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Between $650,000 and $750,000. Auction February 27 at 12.30pm on site.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 12-12.30pm; Wednesday, 5.30-6pm.

ON THE WEB: harcourtsponsonby.co.nz/ PBY2743

SCHOOL ZONES: Westmere School, Pasadena Intermediate, Western Springs College.

CONTACT: Simon Dew, Harcourts, ph 0274 966 189.

FEATURES: Renovated three-bedroom solid concrete bungalow overlooking Western Springs park and environs. Original wood floors and features, large kitchen, two living rooms and decks and courtyards for outdoor living, plus garage and off-street parking. Close to West Lynn and Grey Lynn shops and restaurants, handy to parks, zoo and cycle paths.

Ann Pistacchi-Peck has a way with words. So when she and her husband, Chris Peck, made the difficult decision to leave their beloved life in New Zealand to take their young son, Zack, back to California to be close to family, she penned a love note about their house and neighbourhood of six years to share with prospective occupants.

"I wrote it and then I cried and cried," Ann says. "We can't say enough great things about living in this house and in Grey Lynn.

"We have loved every minute of our years living here, and it has been a very difficult decision for us to leave.

"It even works for our dog. The neighbourhood kids love dogs and will come over and offer to play with or walk your pet."

When the then child-free couple were house-hunting in 2004 they knew they wanted to be close to the city and public transport, but didn't want to feel hemmed in.

They had also wanted an atmosphere akin to that of their close-knit home-town of Santa Cruz. The minute they looked at this 90-year-old solid concrete cottage - one of 65 built by the Auckland Council between 1920 and 1924 for workers and young families - they knew they'd found home.

Ann, a keen cook, walked into the kitchen and knew "this is it". The generous room has room for both a dining table and a casual bar, with windows drawing in the breathtaking view through trees to Western Springs Park and across Auckland to the Waitakeres. The houses on the crest of the hill are protected by trees all around, and private paths lead through terraced gardens to the edge of the park.

Ann and Chris' house was renovated by previous owners to enclose a back porch to create the generous kitchen and a deck on the sunny western side.

The couple have added their touches, converting the original laundry to a second bathroom with a tub for toddler Zack - and the many Californian guests who've stayed.

They turned the front parlour fireplace into a more efficient woodfire - that room has been writer Ann's office - and replaced the middle sitting-room fireplace with gas. The concrete walls and well-placed windows ensure the house is cosy year-round and the polished wood floors and sturdy 1920s joinery on doors and skirting boards add character.

Clearing the backyard revealed stone terraces that provided the makings of a great garden.

The eye-catching centrepiece for these American-Kiwis is the kauri tree that they have watched grow over the years. The fenced front yard is now a pretty, gravel courtyard; the tropical planting and pebble-dash concrete walls of the house giving the area a slightly Mediterranean air.

But it is the neighbourhood - and neighbours - that the couple are already dreading leaving.

When new to the area, Ann found a job at The Wine Vault up the road, rightly figuring that eventually she would meet all of Grey Lynn. They loved the nightlife, the local market, and later - as parents - the parks, child-friendly activities and community groups.

Chris cycles to work in Mt Eden in 12 minutes, and they've enjoyed the easy access to the city's best stretch of cycle path at the bottom of the Bullock Track.

The family have annual passes to the zoo, and are regulars at the library, the community centre and toy library. The restaurants and cafes are attractive and delight in finding everything they need within walking distance. "It's really hard to leave - we love this place," says Chris. "We talk to so many people who've gone back to America and then miss this place so much they have to keep coming back."

So the love story may need another chapter.