Kawau Island - Riding the tides

A basic waterfront cottage has been turned into a boaties' paradise.

Cable Bay, Kawau Island.

Having owned a holiday home next door for 18 years, Richard and Lois Hadfield couldn't resist the opportunity to buy the "basic single room cottage" right on the water in Cable Bay.

``We really bought it for the location - it's an unrepeatable location; you wouldn't be allowed to build right on the water like that these days,'' says Richard.

It was two years ago that they bought it and as Lois says, "We took a wreck of a shack and completely rebuilt it. It was an utter mess - it had a leaking roof and it wasn't insulated."

Not only did the Hadfields rebuild the home but they also extended it outwards and upwards.

The original floor area of the cottage was largely devoted to the open plan living and dining area and kitchen, with the ground floor extension creating a large bedroom and bathroom.

A second level was added to provide another bedroom and an en suite that has luxury appointments such as a bidet.

The upstairs master bedroom has a balcony that offers views across Bon Accord Harbour Richard and Lois, who love all things French, also added a petanque court surrounded by flax on the northern side of the house.

The downstairs living area - which has an open fire - and the guest bedroom open onto the west-facing deck that runs the length of the house.

A gnarled and ancient pohutukawa protrudes through it. It is one of many mature native trees on the bushclad section, which runs a few hundred metres up the hill behind the house. Richard says there are many large kauri as well as taraire and "one or two puriri".

As part of the renovation project, the deck was rebuilt and so was the jetty, "stick by stick". At the end of the jetty there is a hoist that John uses to winch his 4.2m boat out of the water so it can sit on blocks. There is also a shed "for all the water toys", a tap for cleaning fish and a shower.

While planning the renovation, Lois says they were conscious of trying to create a home that was in keeping with Kawau Island.

"I was very aware of how it would look, being so close to the water and able to be seen from the sea," says Lois. "I wanted it to look as though it had been there since the 1920s but I wanted it warm and cosy."
Lois says they took their design cues from houses they saw while visiting Nantucket Island in the United States.

"There were all these colonial-style houses with little jetties going out on to the water - that was the look we were going for."

And she says that while the house makes concessions to the practicality of aluminium joinery it is finished in such a way that it looks like painted wooden joinery.

Richard says that with their advancing years and his rickety knees, they've decided to sell.

"We're finding it's not so accessible for the kids, and my knees are playing up and I can't bounce in and out of boats on to jetties any more," he says.

"I shall be broken hearted to leave it, but you have to move on."


VITAL STATISTICS

BEDROOMS: 2

BATHROOMS: 2

GARAGES: 0

SIZE: Land 1.1837ha, house 120sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Interest expected around $1 million.

INSPECT: By appointment.

ON THE WEB: www.kawau.co.nz ref 1094

CONTACT: John Pryor, Harveys Kawau Island, ph 09 422 8880,
027 297 0722.

FEATURES: Recently renovated and extended two-storey waterfront home with substantial all-tide jetty with shed and boat hoist. Floodlit petanque court.