Flaxmill Bay: Walk in and unwind

Reminiscent of the good old seaside bach, this contemporary beach house is all about relaxing with family and friends. By VICKI HOLDER.

At one time, the basic family bach accommodated mum, dad and the kids with ease. But families grow up and out, and the children have children of their own. The McNaughton family started to feel the squeeze when their extended family still wanted to return to the same spot to relive their favourite holiday memories.

They'd been coming to the same little bach on the hillside for 20 years. A sheltered bay just north of Cooks Beach, Flaxmill Bay offers good boat mooring, safe swimming and excellent kayaking and snorkelling. It's a short drive to the passenger ferry where you can hop across to Whitianga and an abundance of shops, cafes and restaurants.

So, eight years ago the senior McNaughtons sold and bought the section next door. Grandparents and two of the younger families eventually decided to build to make their holiday environment more suited to their evolving needs. So they commissioned Andy Anderson of Jasmax Architects, who is familiar with how people live their lives in beachy environments, to design a luxurious contemporary home with generous spaces that would let everybody enjoy the beautiful beach and spectacular views.

Says Angus McNaughton: "The idea was to make it so more than one family could live in this place without living on top of one another. You can easily sleep 12 when there are two or three families here at Christmas time. Or you can have just one family living here quite happily. We often go down by ourselves and enjoy the wonderful space."

With large living areas, three bedrooms suites and a bunk room, the home is very generous. Though luxuriously appointed and on a much larger scale, it is a simple design with cedar weatherboard cladding and a steep, sloping roofline reminiscent of the classical 1950s bach.

As you approach the house, the first thing you notice is the expanse of windows. Almost the entire northern side is glass in aluminium joinery, and numerous bifold doors extend to outdoor terraces and balconies sheltered by deep timbered soffits.

The open-plan design of the large downstairs room, where the focus is a central galley kitchen, allows for easy beach living in winter or summer, which makes family gatherings all the more enjoyable. You could spend hours relaxing at the granite island kitchen bench or in the lounge on the comfortable window seat, just drinking in the view. In winter months, friends gather around the huge open fireplace to enjoy a bottle of wine.

To ensure many people can cohabit without coming to blows, a tall, 6.5m-high timber feature wall with a massive sliding glass door completely blocks off the living area from the bedrooms on the other side. Coupled with excellent soundproofing and solid core doors, it lets children play the stereo in the bunk room and their adjoining lounge area without disturbing the adults who are entertaining downstairs.

There's also a large double guest suite downstairs, with views to die for.

Encircled by the beauty of nature, every room is treated to a view. Looking back there is the bush, and to the east the views are of the sea, glistening like thousands of diamonds in the sun. The children even enjoy the sea views from their bunk room. Upstairs, those in the two main bedroom suites can wake in the morning and step onto the deck where they can watch the sun rise behind Shakespears Cliff. "Even when the weather is stormy," says Angus, "it doesn't matter, because the view across the wild water with the rollers breaking on the beach is fantastic."

Offering space, comfort and unadulterated luxury, the McNaughton bach would make a fabulous holiday residence or family home. As they are leaving everything behind, including the chattels, and the landscaping surrounding the home has been completed, new owners can simply walk in and unwind, with nothing left to organise.

Vital Statistics

ADDRESS: 1063 Purangi Rd, Flaxmill Bay.

FEATURES: Large, two-level, contemporary residence or holiday home designed by Andy Anderson of Jasmax Architects with sea and bush views; open-plan living with central galley kitchen; ability to isolate noise between bedrooms and living; three bedroom suites and bunk room with lounge area.

SIZE: Land area 825sq m.

AUCTION: 2pm, May 1, on site.

AGENTS: Phil Dawson and Laetitia Scott, Richardsons Real Estate, Cooks Beach. Ph 07 866 5826 bus; Phil 025 773 443 mob; Laetitia 021 92 82 95 mob.