When Cliff and Jill McPherson took up fulltime residence in their home at Mangawhai, they told themselves they must never get to the point where they didn't want to drive to Auckland.
Fortunately, keeping up the connection with the city isn't difficult as it's just over an hour's drive, so they have the best of both worlds living in their stylish house at Tern Point.
When they first bought the land there 10 years ago, they were still working in Auckland and hadn't decided whether they wanted a bach or a permanent home.
The land they found was the right size for their needs; it had a rolling, farm-like aspect and spectacular views.
It's part of the Tern Point Recreation and Conservation Society which comprises 31 properties and shared access to over a kilometre of estuary frontage.
"This extends the property enormously," Cliff says.
A private boat ramp, a large shed for the use of all the property owners and access to walking tracks over the dunes were further drawcards. Their decision to buy was instant.
"Jill did the floor plan -- she has a good feeling for that -- and I gave it to architect Jeff Harnish with a brief for what we wanted: modernism meets arts and crafts meets Japanese. Jeff had strong views on baches and so we ended up with a house that feels extraordinarily relaxing. Everyone who comes here comments on that."
It's a two-bedroom, two-bathroom design with spacious kitchen, dining and living areas, which make the most of the rural and coastal views. There's also a 'snug', which is one of Cliff's favourite spaces, and a large artist's studio.
Image 1 of 9: An easy hour's drive from Auckland is this sprawling, bach-style home with stunning views and estuary access. Photos / Supplied
To comply with Cliff's wish for shelter from the weather, the architect added sliding cedar screens, which add to the Japanese feel of the house.
"That idea was inspired by Ken Crossan's Crate on the Coromandel," Cliff says.
"They really act like wooden curtains so we don't need curtains inside."
The materials used both inside and out further contribute to the casual, bach-like feel of the house. The exterior is board and batten and concrete block while inside the open-plan living areas have plywood ceilings and kwila floors and exposed aggregate polished concrete in the kitchen and dining spaces.
The kwila is continued in the bedrooms, and the master suite has a bathroom and dressing room paved in stones.
"We liked that so much we decided to do the fireplace surround in stone, too," Cliff says.
Inside, the wooden joinery contrasts with white walls that provide an ideal background for the couple's artworks.
"Additional colour is supplied by the furnishings, and in the kitchen by a row of red-fronted cupboards above the kitchen bench, topped by a collection of china jugs.
As the area provides myriad opportunities for outdoor pursuits, so does this property, with big, sheltered entertaining areas, an outdoor bath behind the cedar screens, and a heated lap pool accessed from the living area, which Cliff especially likes. "It's right there so it gets used a lot," he says.
The pool is enclosed by a low hedge and sheltered by an impressive stand of mature puka, while the land around the house is planted in natives including toetoe, flax, grasses and cabbage trees, as well as subtropicals and palms.
"The only thing we'd want to change about this place would be to make it smaller," Cliff says. "Things change and we are ready now to downsize. But we will miss it -- especially being able to gaze out across the farmland and over the cows to the sea."
