The first time Mark and Barbara Porath visited Omaha, they left Auckland in sunshine, drove an hour north, and arrived at the beachside suburb into driving rain.
After renting holiday houses in the Coromandel for years, the Takapuna couple were keen to buy a permanent holiday home that would serve as an anchor for their growing family and allow them to dash away for a weekend without extensive planning and packing.
Visiting Omaha was their son's suggestion.
Back then, in the early 2000s, the southern half of the spit had recently been opened for development and few houses yet stood.
The northern half had been a holiday-home destination for decades, with families drawn to the beach and boating lifestyle.
"We've always had a love of the sea, as you do in New Zealand," says Barbara.
"People for years had been telling us what a beautiful beach Omaha was."
Maybe it was the rain on that gloomy day, maybe the house-less streets, but Mark and Barbara found it hard to picture themselves there. "We thought, 'No'," says Mark.
"We arrived up here and it was blue skies," recalls Mark.
"Barbara and I walked down the beach, and 10 metres away, two dolphins popped out of the crystal-clear waters. We thought: 'We've got to have a piece of this'."
As relatively early converts to Omaha south, they had a choice of sections.
They decided they preferred the privacy of a property set back from the beach to the visibility of absolute waterfront.
Image 1 of 8: This versatile home, with sea views, expands to fit any occasion, big or small. Photos / Ted Baghurst
One day, a flat section at the end of a cul-de-sac came up for sale. It was a 170-metre stroll to the sand, offered water and island views that couldn't be built out and, with council land on two sides, it didn't feel hemmed in. They snapped it up.
The couple hired architect David Delamare to design a family-friendly holiday home that would capitalise on the sun and views, be liveable in all winds and weather, provide easy indoor-outdoor flow, and effortlessly accommodate their sporty sons, then aged in their late teens and early 20s.
Delamare came up with a modern, two-level weatherboard home with schist-style stone accents.
Downstairs is a living area with soaring cathedral ceiling and polished concrete floor that flows out through glass sliders to a north-facing outdoor-living area with a LouvreTec opening roof, outdoor fireplace and spa pool, and a small, west-facing lawn.
Upstairs, the sea views are shared by the master suite, which has its own balcony, and a second room with en suite and deck, which Mark and Barbara use as a second lounge or fourth bedroom, depending on the demands of the day.
Combined with the two bedrooms, bathroom and powder room downstairs, Mark says the house expands to fit the occasion.
Since building finished in late 2006, the house has served the Poraths well, as both a lively focal point for family and friends, and a quiet couple's retreat.
"It's been wonderful for entertaining, as well as a nice place to chill out and leave Auckland behind," says Barbara.
With two of the boys now living overseas, the house isn't being used as frequently, and Mark and Barbara have reluctantly decided to sell so they can free themselves up for more travel.
