West is best for Outrageous star

Life imitates art for Robyn Malcolm. Photo / Supplied

Just as her on-screen love affair with "Westie" culture came to an end, Outrageous Fortune star Robyn Malcolm has made the move in real life.

The actress has bought a four-bedroom brick bungalow in the West Auckland suburb of Titirangi for $710,500.

Flush with cash after selling her Devonport pad for a better-than-expected $981,000 last month, the leftie activist snapped up the new property two weeks ago after it failed to reach reserve at auction.

Malcolm, who played the hard-living Cheryl West in the long-running TV3 drama, reported the sale on Twitter on December 9. She wrote: "Bought a House. Am now officially a Westie. Irony of life."

Set on 1700sq m over two sections, the single-storey home has stunning views of the Waitakere Ranges and Manukau Harbour.

It was recommended to Malcolm by her friend, Stephen Lovatt, a former Neighbours actor who lives next door.

A Titirangi real estate agent described the home as a "solid buy in a sought-after location".

Former Waitakere mayor Bob Harvey said West Auckland would welcome Malcolm with open arms.

"My only regret as mayor is that we didn't erect a statue of her in the middle of the Titirangi roundabout, preferably draped in a towel.

"I think we should all go round and welcome her with a big Westie basket of gifts when she moves in."

Titirangi is famous as an artist enclave. Many homes are surrounded by trees in the foothills of the Waitakere Ranges.

A property source said Malcolm got "a very good price" for her Devonport home, which sold at auction on November 21.

Comedian Ewen Gilmour, who brought the term "Westie" to national prominence in the 1990s, said Malcolm was unlikely to find many Holden Monaros parked on her neighbours' front lawns.

"Titirangi is fairly upmarket - there are lots of million-dollar homes there," he said.

Gilmour said it was impossible to pigeonhole what made a true Westie, but said Malcolm's easygoing charm meant she was a natural.

"The people here have that [Pacific] Island approach, always friendly and hospitable. That's why Robyn managed to portray the character so well."

The final Outrageous Fortune episode, which screened last month, was watched by nearly 750,000 viewers.

Since then a major exhibition celebrating the show's impact on New Zealand culture has opened at the Auckland Museum.

Malcolm is due to move into her new house at the end of February and her two sons, Charlie and Peter, have been enrolled at a nearby school.

The current owners, John and Catherine Scott, say the house is a paradise for raising children.

The grounds have vegetable and rose gardens, trees, a kids' playground and a putting green.

"It's been a great family home," said John Scott.

"All of the neighbourhood kids still come around to play - there must be a dozen of them."

The Scotts were unaware Malcolm was an actress and had barely heard of Outrageous Fortune. "I'm not really a TV addict," Peter said.

Malcolm, who had been house hunting for several months, has been to visit the home four times and was due to bring family around today.

The award-winning actress wished the Herald on Sunday a Merry Christmas when contacted last week but declined to speak about her move to Titirangi.