A long-held dream for a Hawke’s Bay beach retreat is realised, with a lovely family connection.

A new generation enjoys a Hawke’s Bay holiday spot that’s long been a firm favourite

Our Christmas

“We head to Waimarama on 23 December. On Christmas Day, now that the children are older, we sleep in – the best present of them all. After opening our presents we walk on the beach, swim, lie around and read a new book unless I’m hosting dinner, then I’m busy preparing. Dinner starts with lots of champagne and then a traditional dinner of new potatoes, peas, two turkeys, stuffing and lashings of gravy. There is lots of friendly rivalry about which sister cooks the best turkey. A sibling takes a turn to cook each year. Pudding is a highlight – plum pudding and brandy sauce or pavlova and berries. We all pitch in and help. When I was young we had a few Christmases with my mother’s family in the South Island. My grandfather Jack travelled a lot so he used to put overseas coins in the Christmas pudding. As children, it was very exciting to see which coin you would get. Probably my favourite memory is Christmases when my father would bring champagne in old-fashioned champagne coupes – now back in fashion – up to us in our bedrooms. I would hear the tray of glasses rattling as he walked up the stairs and delivered what was almost only a mouthful of champagne. He also used to light the brandy with a flame under a silver tablespoon and tip it over the holly which would alight.”

“You want outdoor spaces so the teens can be in one area and the adults in the other. There’s no nagging and there is food in between.”

Inside, the ceilings have exposed, rough-sawn timber beams to provide both height and texture.

Says Andy: “People don’t realise but if they stand in a room with exposed ceilings that aren’t shiny painted wood then they feel comfortable.”

The open-plan living and kitchen area is decorated in neutral, muted colours – green, brown sugar and cream tones. The kitchen is large enough for Rebecca to cook for a dozen guests. The kitchen bench is just 2m away from the outdoor tables where they tend to eat all summer.

“Then it’s another metre to the pool, so we don’t need to move far,” says Rebecca. “I love to cook and to use Hawke’s Bay produce. I’m from a big family so I’m used to feeding large numbers of people and that’s where I’m at my happiest.”

Rebecca and her family love lying on the built-in window seats – another signature feature of a Coltart design – with their books. “I’m nuts about window seats,” says Andy. “I sometimes start a house design with a window seat. The idea is to capture the winter sun.”

Rebecca and Harry bought the house furnished. Rebecca has stocked it with her own linen, crockery and cutlery, and added bookshelves beside the fireplace. “We were fortunate enough to buy the house from a like-minded couple who wanted happy getaway family holidays. It looks like a normal old bach from the outside but it’s classic and comfortable inside without being fussy or precious.”

Two of the four bedrooms in the house have built-in bunks. All of the bedrooms open on to the back courtyard, and two are linked by internal doors. Two boat sheds near the front of the gate serve a dual purpose – giving the family and their guests privacy from the road, and also storing bikes and boogie boards in one and accommodating overflow guests in the other. The Boathouse is also rented out via Airbnb to holidaymakers.

Rebecca loves nothing more than walking around the house barefoot. The painted macrocarpa floorboards and sisal carpets make it easy-care, perfect for a long, relaxed summer holiday. “I always wanted my children to fall in love with Hawke’s Bay in the same way I have and our home there allows that to happen. I just feel so good up there. It’s such a happy, healthy place.”

‘THIS IS THE PLACE WHERE WE COME TOGETHER TO RELAX’

THIS PAGE The outdoor living area of The Boathouse, Rebecca and Harry Kain’s family beach house at Waimarama Beach near Havelock North, a hot spot for extended family.

THIS PAGE The kitchen and living room walls are painted Aalto Limpopo and the trims throughout the house are Aalto Unison; the kitchen bar stools are antique oak and the 10 dining chairs around the table are from Redcurrent.

THESE PAGES The kitchen and living hub is where the family spend most of their time; the timber floors are painted Aalto Gargoyle with a low-sheen polyurethene on top; the boatsheds in the distance provide extra storage and accommodation.

THIS PAGE (clockwise from top left) The simple, contemporary bathroom features black stone mosaic floor tiles from Artedomus matched with white gloss subway wall tiles; tapware and whiteware is from Robertson Bathware. Interior designer Jen Pack sourced the oars and letters on the bedroom wall from vintage shops. Two of the four bedrooms have built-in bunks. Asta relaxes in the spare bedroom; it has a custom-made linen bedhead; the bedroom floors are covered with sisal carpets for a relaxed feel.

THIS PAGE (clockwise from top) The outdoor dining table comfortably seats 10 and is only a short walk away from the kitchen bench. Rebecca loves the slower pace of life at Waimarama, and the luxury of time over her summer break. Decorations from Redcurrent, which Rebecca co-owns.

THESE PAGES (from left) The board-and-batten beach house is timeless; bifold windows in the living area open to the pool, where the kids spend a lot of time. The first glimpse of Waimarama beach and Motu-o-Kura in the distance at the ascent of the hill on the road.