Church Bay: Welcome aboard

Only a handful of other homes enjoy the beautiful calm waters of the bay.

A Church Bay home that, literally, floats above the water.

Thanks to the complexities of the Resource Management Act, the owner of this charming water's edge property in Church Bay, Northland, was able to build his home on a jetty.

It floats above the water at high tide, welcoming the sailing vessels that call into the bay on their way backwards and forwards from Auckland to the Bay of Islands.

Jim Maling and his wife discovered Church Bay on the Tutukaka coast, with its smattering of homes, when they holidayed there in a nearby motel about 12 years ago. Jim was working as a builder for Michael Hill Jeweller, constructing stores throughout the country. Whangarei, where Michael Hill had his head office, is only 30 minutes away. When a property on the water came up for sale, Jim remembered his magical stay and was really keen to move there permanently, to lead a more relaxing life, sailing and fishing.

"It was such a special opportunity," he says. "I knew I could make something that had a good feel about it and wanted to put a lot of effort into creating it."

Jim says because the district plan didn't have a definite set of rules, he was able to successfully prove to the council how he could overcome their objections to achieve the "spectacular and fun" result he wanted. "If the council disagree with what you propose they say you must remedy, avoid or mitigate, and we countered every objection they put in front of us. We just pursued it until we got there. That's why it's so special really."

He says nobody else has been able to build on a jetty since the early settlers in the 1900s, who did so frequently.

The lengthy process it took to gain approval gave him time to really watch the waves and the weather, which has been a major part of the enjoyment. He looked at many other places for ideas but decided on a simple, traditional form because it worked in the setting.

"The shape was right and the proportions easy on the eye," says Jim. Designed by Geoff King of Harrison and King Architects in Whangarei, the house is solidly constructed and anchored to the landscape by a high-profile, sandy-hued roof made of a modified cement plaster system from a German company called Sto. "It had to be like a sand dune, like the beach itself," he says.

The house is on two levels with a single, open-plan loft area upstairs where up to 20 people can sleep at a time. It's no wonder over summer the home attracts friends from all over the world.

There's also a bedroom downstairs on the main living level. Aside from that there's a bathroom with a bath and shower, plus a laundry.

The kitchen features macrocarpa slab benchtops and shelves. The modern appliances include a gas hob.

Jim says it's very comfortable as he built it to be a full-time home with extra space for a workshop in the boatshed. There's no reason why this second dwelling couldn't convert to a bunkroom for more accommodation.

But the focus from this home is on the great outdoors. You can sit on the deck and feel a part of the action as you watch the boats, the kayakers, the water skiers and the paddlers go by. Jim wouldn't change a thing. He thinks it's perfect. He enjoys sailing from the front yard and gathering the shellfish.

Of course, with the privilege of being here comes certain rules that won't suit everyone. You can't erect fences or plant in a manner that would obstruct the water flow. But then who would want to come between this building and perfection?