– Cial Cheng and Lin Zhang transformed their Titirangi home into a toy-filled wonderland for their sons.
– The family collected toys like Transformers, Marvel, LEGO and Disney to create a playful environment.
– They are selling the home to move closer to relatives and Cheng’s business in east Auckland.
Is this New Zealand’s most fun-filled home? A Titirangi family has transformed a 1970s weatherboard home into a wonderland, packed with thousands of toys.
Cial Cheng and Lin Zhang grew up during an economically difficult period in China, had few toys and were encouraged to study hard, not leaving all that much time for play. They wanted exactly the opposite for their two boys in New Zealand, and they’ve done that in spades.
221 Woodlands Park Road is a riot of colour and fun – inside and out. Cheng and Zhang told OneRoof that they had spent the last decade sourcing vast collections of toys and having fun with them. Family-wide nerf gun fights inside, and water fights outside are legend. The storybook home, opposite the boys’ primary school, is a magnet for playdates.
Cheng and Zhang’s joyful journey started as soon as they planned a family. In the early days of their two boys’ lives that meant buying all the Transformer collections. As the boys progressed to becoming Marvel fans and dressing up as their favourite superheroes, the collecting turned in that direction.
Family water fights were one of the many fun pastimes in the family home. Photo / Supplied
Visitors are in a toy-laden wonderland the minute they open the door. Photo / Supplied
Downstairs is where the fun gets serious. Photo / Supplied
“That’s why we’ve got all the Batmans, Superman, the Transformers, those collections,” Cheng told OneRoof. “We’ve got all the Marvel and the DC [comics], all the characters.
“[Then] they were really into LEGO. That’s why we’ve got lots of LEGO sets.” LEGO was not something Cheng experienced when he was a child, but he loves building sets as much as his sons. “It’s been a pleasure because when we were kids, we didn’t get time to play that much. The [emphasis] is on study.”
As well as collecting many of the well-known toy franchises, the parents introduced their sons to Black Myth: Wukong, a game inspired by the Monkey King legend, to connect the boys with their Chinese heritage. “It’s helped us teach them what happened in our history and explore the stories we grew up with,” Cheng said. They did, of course, collect the memorabilia as well.
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As the collection grew, Cheng and Zhang built shelves to organise and house the family’s creations. There’s anime, Pokémon, Disney, SpongeBob SquarePants, Winnie the Pooh, Minions, and much, much more, all set against a riotous background of colours and decorations to spark the imagination of children.
Among the superheroes and stuffed animals, more feminine Disney princesses make regular appearances, even if the house is full of boys. It’s Zhang’s way of reclaiming the storybook world she didn’t get to enjoy growing up.
In the early days, she bought all the classic tea party and kitchen toys that she loved. But sadly, with two boys, the little kitchen set, donut and muffin toys, and tea‑party accessories were barely touched. As the boys grew and lost interest, the family sold the whole lot.
Zhang’s love of Disney, however, was more of a success. “Disney is like a dream for every kid,” Cheng told OneRoof. “We never went to Disneyland when we were children, so when we grew up, we went ourselves, to Hong Kong first, then later to Shanghai.” A more recent trip to Shanghai enabled the parents to celebrate their love of Disney with the boys.
The boys will miss their West Auckland playhouse. Photo / Supplied
The colour scheme is bright and bold, and no corner is left without some touch of magic. Photo / Supplied
Also popular in the Cheng-Zhang household are massive all-family Nerf Gun fights inside, and water fights outside when the weather is good. “We invite friends and separate into groups. Even the adults really enjoy it,” Cheng said.
Zhang is a trained early childhood education teacher, which means she understands the developmental science behind how young children learn, and recognises the critical importance of a child’s environment and need for play time. She is also the design queen of the Titirangi home, curating the colours and finer details.
The family has lost count of how many toys it owns. Their treasures are sourced locally and from China. “For the toys, it’s pretty much stores like Toyworld, The Warehouse, and Farmers,” Cheng said. “We bought the decoration stuff online.”
With a home as fun as this, why are they selling? One is to live closer to their relatives in East Auckland; the other is that Cheng’s commercial cleaning business has moved from New Lynn to Mount Wellington, and the commute is too onerous. After nine years in the home, the family knows it’s time to sell.
The lounge opens onto a peaceful deck with the perfect views to be expected in Titirangi. Photo / Supplied
Even with a house full of boys, Lin Zhang still finds space to express her feminine side. Photo / Supplied
“We will miss the convenience of the school [being immediately across the road]. The boys sometimes wake up at 8.30 in the morning, have a quick breakfast and go across the street to school,” he said. “We [also] love this community in Titirangi.” Cheng, for his part, isn’t looking forward to packing up their treasures for the move.
The boys, who are now 9 and 11, aren’t entirely happy to leave the neighbourhood. But it’s going to be a fun home, wherever they end up next. Zhang has already been to Bunnings Warehouse to choose fun paint colours.
Ray White listing agent Brendan Smith told OneRoof he got quite a surprise when he first walked in. “It’s like walking into a wonderland,” he said. “[I’d] never seen anything quite like this before.”
The 170sqm property has three bedrooms, one bathroom, sits on 814sqm of land, and the RV is $970,000.
It’s well laid out for a family, Smith said. “Upstairs, you have a deck that collects the morning sun in the deck off the lounge. It’s elevated above the road.”
The huge downstairs was formerly a garage, and could be opened up again, and could make an excellent rumpus room.
– 221 Woodlands Park Road, Titirangi, Auckland, goes to auction on April 18