St Heliers: Lido lifestyle

An elderly couple are leaving their beloved bays lifestyle for a retirement village on the Shore.

1/40 Devore Street, St Heliers.

A number of people who feature in Heraldhomes are sad to be leaving an area because they have lived there most of their lives, but when a couple are in their 90s, their departure is poignant.

Bob and Margaret Milne are finally packing up their 70s penthouse apartment in St Heliers and moving to a retirement village. The village is lovely, but it's on the North Shore, and they are finding making the trip across the bridge quite a wrench.

"St Heliers is like a lido, with such a wonderful atmosphere," says Bob. "We've loved being so close to the waterfront, going down on a sunny day when everyone's in their casual clothes. It's been one of the pleasures of living here, and the view."

Yes, the view. Nearly every room of their top floor apartment has a view of the Waitemata and Rangitoto, gazing straight down the shipping channel to watch its comings and goings.

The Milnes moved here after Bob retired as chairman and managing director of the Milne and Choyce department store chain. That name won't mean much to younger readers, but for 110 years it was one of Auckland's leading retailers. Bob is a descendant of its sister founders, Mary and Charlotte Milne, who started out as milliners in 1867. He, like his father before him, worked his way up from the packing department to head the company. He also became one of Auckland's most active business leaders, forming the Queen Street Business Association and the Auckland City Development Association, and becoming president of the New Zealand Retailers' Federation and the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. He was made a CBE in 1978. Milne and Choyce was eventually bought by the Fletcher group of companies and closed in 1973.

All the while he and Margaret were also raising their three children, first in a house in St Vincent Avenue which his father built, then at a place in Shore Road.

"After the children left home I said to Mrs Milne, 'This place is too big for us,' so we came looking for an apartment, and found this one."

The front door opens into the expansive main living and dining area, with a partially separate kitchen at the side. The space is lined with windows to capture the view. One sunroom and a small open balcony open from the west side, another sunroom opens to the north.

Along the hallway the bedrooms all look out to the view, and the master has access to a long balcony that runs along the front of the bedroom.

The hallway was lined with Bob and Margaret's collection of photographs and certificates marking the highpoints in their lives, including a scroll from the Auckland City Council thanking the Milne family for 110 years of service. The hallway is empty now, awaiting new owners to make their mark on this special apartment whose former residents hold a special place in Auckland's history.

Vital Statistics

BEDROOMS: 3

BATHROOMS: 2

GARAGE: 2

SIZE: 230sq m incl decks.

PRICE INDICATION: CV $400,000. Auction November 5.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 1-1.30pm.

CONTACT: Elaine Harrison, Harveys, ph 021 486 468, 529 1800 bus.

FEATURES: Top floor apartment with beautiful views and walking distance to St Heliers shops. Two enclosed sunrooms and two open balconies.