- The Ōhope bach where children’s author Margaret Mahy spent childhood holidays is being offered for sale.
- Her uncle bought the three-storey, century-old villa in 1936, creating a family holiday retreat.
- The restored five-bedroom landmark has a $1.05 million RV, with expected interest above that.
The bach where author Margaret Mahy spent much of her childhood has hit the market for sale.
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The three-storey property at 1A West End Road is one of Ōhope's oldest surviving homes and, arguably, its most well-known.
Mahy’s uncle Harold bought it in 1936, and it soon became the family's holiday haunt.
Harold’s son Arthur, 83, said the Mahy clan, including Margaret, were all living in Whakatāne at the time and Ōhope became a welcome escape.
“She’d come over from Whakatāne now and again. Things like Guy Fawkes night where we had a bonfire on the section and all the townsfolk would turn up.
Mahy is one of NZ's most beloved children's authors. Photo / Chris Skelton
“I recall once when she was there to help us catch rats [in the bush behind the property]. She picked one up and it nearly bit her thumb off. I was horrified.”
Margaret left the Whakatāne District to attend university, eventually spending most of her life in Governors Bay, in Christchurch, where she raised her family and penned her children's books, including The Lion in the Meadow.
Since the Mahys moved on, 1A West End Road has changed hands several times, operating variously as a backpackers and later as rental flats.
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Its prime location next to the OBR pub also made it a popular venue for post-party gigs, including one hosted by rock band Dragon.
Current owner Joe Akari bought it in 2002 for $288,000 after getting a job at the Norske Skog Pulp and Paper Mill in Whakatāne.
He'd been looking for a villa to buy, but then he saw 1A West End Road.
"We saw the old place and immediately fell in love with it. It's a bit of a stand-out from the point of view that there are not that many houses of that age and design on the beach."
The Mahy family holiday home back when the Ohope public pools were on the Mahy Reserve. Photo / Supplied
The four-bedroom home is across the road from the Mahy Reserve and the stunning Ohope Beach. Photo / Supplied
Akari said the now 100-year-old house was in three flats when he and his wife bought it and transformed it back into a five-bedroom, four-bathroom home. They lived there for about five years before turning it into their holiday home.
"I loved the place from the word go. People told us heaps about the place and their experiences," he told OneRoof.
"There are so many stories. We've had people drive up and say, 'I stayed here, or I rented here for a while, and I just needed to visit the place again.'"
Akari is now based in Rotorua and said it was time to sell up as he and his wife looked to consolidate their assets in view of retiring next year.
Aritzo agent Liam Layland told OneRoof: “There are not many villas like that left in Ōhope because a lot of them have been demolished or developed. It’s a bit of a landmark.
“Everyone drives past it whether they are going in or out [of the town]. You can’t not see it.”
He added: “West End is one of the top destinations for people to swim and surf.”
The property has an RV of $1.05m, but Layland expected interest to be north of that.
- 1A West End Road, in Ōhope, is for sale
