by Grant Wakelin
21 Mercury Way, in Whitby, is the home of Werner, Thomas, and Hannelore and has been for some 28 years. This is the quintessential family home, well lived, well loved, well cared for, full of memories.
The home occupies a prominent position overlooking the Pautanui Inlet, with views over the inlet, Paramata town, and out to Mana Island. It is the views that will command your attention. Indeed, Hannelore loves the perspective, she told us “one of my favourite places is my little kitchen widow, where most of the time my computer lives, where I can try out new recipes I found on the internet, or finish off work with the family all around doing their things”.
The kitchen, like all family homes is a focal point for the house. According to Hannelore “We all love cooking, and entertaining in this house is bliss. We all remember the Moroccan winter soup. It was so spicy and delicious, but nobody left the kitchen as long as the soup was not finished. We had my very own German sourdough bread with it, and it was just perfect”.
The home is wonderfully positioned in the bush. Hannelore told us a great story about when her son was little, he built a hut with neighbour's children in the bush and in typically New Zealand fashion they wanted to stay down there all night. They didn’t make it though, as Hannelore laughed “the opossum's finally convinced them that their bed was a better place for the night”. It was not just outside that attracted the family “Later on our son loved to study in the upstairs office. We would go up and the dog and cat could be found snuggling up in the very sunniest spots”.
The family have had many overseas guests staying for extended periods - sometimes up to six month at a time. The home has suited them beautifully as a holiday destination. Indeed Granny enjoyed the sea views from the two room upstairs area she would stay six months at a time!
Like a well loved family home should be, our family gives the home up reluctantly. Hannelore told us “This house has given us 28 years of enjoyment, and now we reluctantly need to let go. It has been a base for our son and his wife to come home to when they lived in New York and London, and now with them having found their own home it has become to big for us. Thinking back to the day we saw this house it was not even on the market. It was some weeks before Christmas 1983, and we needed a home to spend Christmas in. This house was perfect. It was just ready. We just had to have it and it was so absolutely right for us. I think that we all liked the white tower housing the staircase”.
This home deserves a loving family - it is imbued with family. It cries out for the opportunity to provide that quintessential New Zealand family upbringing, with just that little bit of je ne sais quoi thrown in.
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