Waiheke: Home for Christmas

The owners of Waiheke Island's famous Mudbrick restaurant are spending their last Christmas in their idyllic home by the sea.

40 Beach Parade, Oneroa, Waiheke Island.

Nick Jones doesn't mind that his "front yard" will soon be full of up to 100 boaties, many rowing ashore to picnic on the sand in front of his house.

"They create a neat kind of community atmosphere over the summer holidays," says Nick, who, with wife Robyn, built a house against the hill at the quiet end of Oneroa Beach. For most of the year, they have the sand in front of their house to themselves.

When the couple bought this 930sq m site three years ago there was little to see but "sky-high bamboo", recalls Robyn.

"We couldn't even get on to the site to see how far back it went."

But they knew the view would be fantastic, framed by the magnificent pohutukawa that line the beach. Robyn wanted a "boat shed" feel to the interior, with the same rustic, country look that she and Nick have used at their restaurant on the island, Mudbrick. She also liked the Cape Cod style of architecture used on the east coast of America, so asked architect Paul MacIntosh to incorporate that, too.

"So it's a bit of a mixture, but I didn't want one look right through the house," says Robyn. "That's the great thing about New Zealand houses - you can mix things up, and add a bit of Kiwi, and I think it makes a home more relaxed and comfy."

The exterior is clad in rough-sawn and band-sawn cedar, with old lamp posts and wharf beams included. Lending the boatshed feel to the interior are rough-sawn, distressed boards used on many of the downstairs ceilings.

"They were originally floorboards from a freezing works near Palmerston North," says Robyn. "I walked into a demolition yard when they were part-way through washing off the old whitewash, and I asked them to leave the boards like that."

Oak was used in the floorboards, the reeded board ceiling above the dining area, and in the custom-made butcher's block in the kitchen. This area also boasts a Bocuse oven from France, which Robyn uses the most.

"I'm not a trained chef or anything. Just a foodie - it was our love of food that led us to open Mudbrick," she says.

A big open fire in the living area warms the house in winter, while in summer the French doors are thrown open on to the deck which looks like it reaches to the edge of the beach.

The Jones' were restricted in how many bedrooms they could include, so the children's room is as big as two, with an "invisible wall" down the middle. The master bedroom upstairs looks out to that magnificent view, and even the bath in the en suite has been positioned to give sight of the bay. Fossilstone tiles from China give the bathrooms a sandy feel in reference to the house's beachside setting.

The office at the back of the house has been kept deliberately shady by the use of a green colour on the reeded board walls, and by stripping the window frame back to natural wood. "I wanted this room to feel like a little potting shed," says Robyn.

The couple, with their children Francie, 11, and Oscar, 9, and dogs Sweep and Daisy, have loved living so close to the sea, but have found the call of a lifestyle block on the island stronger. Francie and Oscar are keen horse riders, and the family's three horses are currently kept at the back of the restaurant. Nick and Robyn have their eye on a clifftop property with room for the horses, and which still has access to the sea.

"We're looking at building all over again," says Nick, and they both wince. "It took over a year to build this place, and we've only had it finished for just over a year. If we hadn't found something really special we wouldn't be leaving."

Vital Statistics

BEDROOMS: 2

BATHROOMS: 3

GARAGE: 2

SIZE: Land 928sq m, house 293sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Over $3 million. Auction February 8.

INSPECT: By appointment.

CONTACT: Pat Regan, Bayleys Waiheke, ph 0274 483 348 mob, 372 0005 bus.

FEATURES: Fifteen-month-old house built to look old, on the shores of Oneroa beach with beautiful views. Second living area used as a gym could be a third bedroom, study. Open fire. Nearby walking track up to Oneroa village.