NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Property

Country peace in heart of city

By Jane Loudon
NZ Herald·
24 Oct, 2014 04:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

50 Owens Rd, Epsom.Photo/Ted Baghurst.

50 Owens Rd, Epsom.Photo/Ted Baghurst.

50, OWENS RD, EPSOM
3/4
2
1*
SIZE: Land 2195sq m, house 194sq m
PRICE INDICATION: July 2011 CV $1.7 million
INSPECT: Sat/Sun 11.30am-12.30pm. Auction November 19, noon, on site.
ON THE WEB: uprealestate.co.nz/UPM11221
SCHOOL ZONES: Auckland Grammar, Epsom Girls’ Grammar, Auckland Normal Intermediate, Kohia Terrace School.
CONTACT: Neil Bailey, Unlimited Potential, ph 021 556 828
*Plus car port

Privacy and space instantly appealed to the owners of this elegant Epsom home when they were lucky enough to view it before it came on the market nearly 40 years ago.

Owners Heather and Mick had been living in a smaller house in nearby Landscape Rd and were looking for somewhere larger in 1975 when their children Kylie and Mark were then aged 4 and 2.

Mick was a country boy from Te Aroha, and the feeling he had when he looked at the Owens Rd house was of going back to his roots.

"It really is like living in the countryside here," he says.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Friends who have come to stay with us from the country over the years have said they are amazed at how well they can sleep because there is no traffic noise even though we are in central Auckland."

Mick and Heather's two-level home is tucked away down a long driveway in leafy Owens Rd, almost directly opposite The Pines apartment block and within easy walking distance to Mt Eden summit and the village shops.

The home, which is constructed of Canadian oregon with a tiled roof, was designed by the late architect Oswald Owen for his bride in 1926. The Owens were one of Epsom's founding families and Oswald had grown up in the historic Brightside home built for the family in nearby Brightside Ave.

Built as an English cottage with panelled windows and doors, the Owens Rd house sits on 2195sq m. Its living spaces are oriented towards the north and north east and opening to expansive level lawns.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Before Mick and Heather bought the house, previous owners had added two extensions to the north and south sides on ground level to add an extra bedroom and a second living room.

After living in the house for 12 years with the original small kitchen, Mick and Heather renovated this area in the 1980s -- putting in a large new functional kitchen with adjoining conservatory that doubles as an informal dining space.

The kitchen and conservatory have stood the test of time and still work wonderfully as the light-filled hub of this elegantly proportioned house, which has studs of more than 2.7m in most rooms.

A beautiful weeping elm tree, planted by the Owens, is a feature of the front entranceway, which includes a sweeping driveway with a single garage, carport and woodshed tucked neatly away to one side.

When you enter the house, to the right of the front door is the original formal lounge, with large open fireplace. This leads through to a small formal dining room, also with a fireplace, and to the informal lounge which opens to the wide back deck.

The conservatory also opens to this deck, ensuring excellent indoor-outdoor flow between the living and entertaining spaces.

Beyond the kitchen to the right of the entrance hall is the laundry, a bathroom and double bedroom, ideal for guests.

Get hold of a slice of Auckland history, designed by one of the founding fathers of Epsom
Get hold of a slice of Auckland history, designed by one of the founding fathers of Epsom
Get hold of a slice of Auckland history, designed by one of the founding fathers of Epsom
Get hold of a slice of Auckland history, designed by one of the founding fathers of Epsom
Get hold of a slice of Auckland history, designed by one of the founding fathers of Epsom

Image 1 of 5: Get hold of a slice of Auckland history, designed by one of the founding fathers of Epsom

Off the landing at the top of the hallway stairs is a small, fourth bedroom or study, another bathroom and two bedrooms, including the master.

Kylie and Mark, who now have their own young children, have fond memories of their childhood home as one where they spent hours with neighbourhood friends playing sport on the large back lawn.

It is maybe no coincidence that Kylie went on to become a Black Stick, Mark an All White and two of the neighbours' family of nine children were an All Black and a Football Fern.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

More recently, Kylie's children, Sam, 10, Milly, 8, and Jack, 4, have taken over their grandparents' home field and they will perhaps miss its freedom and space the most.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Property

Property

Auckland’s new CVs: The biggest winners and losers revealed

09 Jun 07:51 AM
Property

Family's Grey Lynn villas sell for over $9m - 'they all jumped on this pretty fast'

09 Jun 07:45 AM
Premium
Property

New, never-lived-in Auckland apartment project up for mortgagee sale

09 Jun 04:00 AM

Audi offers a sporty spin on city driving with the A3 Sportback and S3 Sportback

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Property

Auckland’s new CVs: The biggest winners and losers revealed

Auckland’s new CVs: The biggest winners and losers revealed

09 Jun 07:51 AM

Agents and experts weigh in on the relevance of rating valuations.

Family's Grey Lynn villas sell for over $9m - 'they all jumped on this pretty fast'

Family's Grey Lynn villas sell for over $9m - 'they all jumped on this pretty fast'

09 Jun 07:45 AM
Premium
New, never-lived-in Auckland apartment project up for mortgagee sale

New, never-lived-in Auckland apartment project up for mortgagee sale

09 Jun 04:00 AM
Auckland’s new CVs: What the latest valuations mean for buyers and sellers

Auckland’s new CVs: What the latest valuations mean for buyers and sellers

08 Jun 07:57 PM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP