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

Step back to the Edwardian era

NZ Herald
6 Sep, 2016 05:00 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

184 Arthur Street, Onehunga, Auckland. Photo / David Rowland, Getty Images

184 Arthur Street, Onehunga, Auckland. Photo / David Rowland, Getty Images

184 ARTHUR ST, ONEHUNGA
3
2
2
SIZE: Land 1212sq m, house 175sq m.
PRICE INDICATION: CV $1.425 million.
INSPECT: Sat/Sun 1pm-1.30pm.
ON THE WEB: bayleys.co.nz/1410044
SCHOOL ZONES: Onehunga high and primary, Royal Oak intermediate.
CONTACT: Andrew Rumbles, 021 383 938, or Lindy Lawton, 021 222 3210, Bayleys.
AUCTION: September 24, 1.30pm, on site.

Richard and Robyn Northey have a long history of service to the people of Onehunga, and wider Auckland -- Richard as an MP and more recently on Auckland Council; Robyn on the Auckland District Health Board, and both as volunteers in an eye-watering number of community organisations.

So it is only fitting that their house of 23 years is also well embedded in the fabric of the town. Built in 1903 for Louise, the widow of Archibald Somerville, and her daughter Alice, the grand kauri villa named Leura was once part of the Somerville family estate that stretched from Arthur St up the Spring St hill and across to Victoria St.

"We've enjoyed looking after this house for our time, we've been quite touched as we've added bits and pieces to the history of the house," says Robyn.

"The deeds go back to 1855 when it was obtained from the Ngati Whatua, there are pictures of pigs and sheep on the land. The Somervilles ran the general store near the waterfront."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The Northeys have photographs of Edwardian tennis parties on the courts that ran between the house and Spring St; the trellised gazebo is still in the corner of their sunny north-facing back yard.

The courts were subdivided into flats some time in the 1970s, but the grand front porch and door still open on the west side on to a smaller lawn and path. Where formerly there were stables towards Victoria St, there is now a modern double garage on the sweep of brick driveway.

Miraculously, apart from opening up the kitchen to the living spaces, and addition of a master bathroom, the grand house has retained all its original features, still in great condition.

In the new Unitary Plan, the street is now zoned for terraced houses and apartments, along with the blocks around to nearby Church St, but the Northeys hope this piece of history will remain intact as a family home.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Robyn says when she started working from home, installing insulation in the floors and ceilings and adding central heating was a must, drafts being a drawback of Edwardian architecture.

The tongue-and-groove farmhouse-style kitchen was installed by previous owners but the working coal range, with its jaunty blue and white tiles, is now more for comfort and decoration than need. Cabinets painted a china blue complement the original kauri tongue and groove walls in the east-facing room.

Image 1 of 0:

The Northeys removed a wall to open the space to the door of the dining room, and laugh that the majority of guests ignore the grand front door in favour of the pretty stained glass tradesman's entrance.

The side porch has a modern laundry cupboard and access to a service yard and barbecue patio, but it is the grand sweep of railed and trimmed verandah opening off the bedrooms that makes the most of the sunny garden.

Robyn and Richard used local stone to terrace the lawns, adding vegetable beds to the original plantings.

The two main reception rooms must have impressed old Auckland, as they do today. With ceilings at nearly 4m, panelled bay windows and glorious proportions, these street-facing rooms are gracious and welcoming.

The working fireplace has an iron and tile hearth and elaborate wood mantelpiece and the light fittings speak of another era.

Sliding pocket doors connect the two rooms, which the Northeys have set up as a sitting room and a library, but which would have been formal dining and living rooms.

On the other side of the generous hallway are three grand bedrooms, one of which is now a study, with french doors opening to the verandah.

These rooms, along with the hall and kitchen, still have original built-in wardrobes, while the bathroom still has the clawfoot tub and original fittings (with an upgraded shower).

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Ten years ago the Northeys reconfigured a bedroom and sunroom into one, adding a walk-in wardrobe and modern en suite.

It too opens to the verandah (with a stained-glass door) and garden.

Many of the vintage-style wallpapers and trims were in the house when the couple bought it, and have been left in keeping with the period.

The Northeys enjoy access to the newly restored Onehunga waterfront, and have watched the bustling shopping street pick up over the past decade.

"We've had wonderful memories of this house, some wonderful parties," says Robyn. "We'd be sad to see someone bulldoze it."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Property

Property

Elderly vendor 'gob-smacked' after her damaged home sells for $507,000

11 Jul 07:21 PM
Property

The big switch: ‘I don't care about the banks. I'll take the $8000 cash'

11 Jul 07:15 PM
Property

NZ’s UFO house for sale - Starship Enterprise meets Bond villain lair

11 Jul 07:00 PM

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

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Property

Elderly vendor 'gob-smacked' after her damaged home sells for $507,000

Elderly vendor 'gob-smacked' after her damaged home sells for $507,000

11 Jul 07:21 PM

Bidders went hard for "as is, where is" property.

The big switch: ‘I don't care about the banks. I'll take the $8000 cash'

The big switch: ‘I don't care about the banks. I'll take the $8000 cash'

11 Jul 07:15 PM
NZ’s UFO house for sale - Starship Enterprise meets Bond villain lair

NZ’s UFO house for sale - Starship Enterprise meets Bond villain lair

11 Jul 07:00 PM
Fashion power couple selling their multi-million dollar art villa

Fashion power couple selling their multi-million dollar art villa

11 Jul 09:15 AM
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
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • 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