Albert Maynard suffered serious injuries to his head and face when a group allegedly attacked him - one armed with a wooden stake - about 1am on Saturday, in Flat Bush, South Auckland.
His wife, Monika Maynard, would effectively save his life when - seeing the attack from upstairs - ran outside to yell at the group while on the phone to police.
"As soon as he approached the car, they immediately - in seconds - got out of the car and started attacking him,'' she said.
Her 54-year-old husband had gone out to investigate where loud music was coming from on their street.
"He initially thought they were neighbours having a little party,'' she said.
"But then when he realised that it wasn't the neighbours - it was actually coming from a car - he went across to talk to them.''
She told the Herald her husband walked across the road to where the vehicle was parked and asked one of the men inside to turn the music down.
It was then all four males got out of the vehicle and began to punch and kick Maynard, while one in the group used a wooden stake to strike him.
"The attack [went] on for quite a few minutes.
"I screamed for them to stop. But they wouldn't listen''.
Monika Maynard said she believed the men decided to leave when they heard her on the phone to police - and for the fact that their victim would not fall.
"I think that's another reason they left. Albert - he just wouldn't go down.
"He was bleeding pretty profusely. It wasn't good. If the cops hadn't been called, I don't know what else might have happened,'' she said.
It would take about three hours for medical staff to stop the bleeding from his head.
Photographs taken at Middlemore Hospital shortly afterwards show Albert Maynard with blood dripping from his face.
His blood-soaked hair has several staples in it and bits of what were once fresh white gauze, now a deep red, stick out of it.
Monika said it was somewhat lucky that her husband - "a big Samoan guy'' - had been the one attacked and not one of their elderly neighbours.
"It was just one of those things you don't want to go through again.''
An 18-year-old male has been arrested and charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Detective Senior Sergeant Richard O'Connor, of Counties Manukau Crime Investigation Bureau, said the arrest was made last night.
The attacker appeared in the Manukau District Court today.
Police say inquiries are continuing and they cannot rule out further charges being laid.
