Home of the Month: There are maritime memories galore at this rebuilt Bay of Islands holiday home.

A rebuilt Bay of Islands holiday home pays homage to a rich maritime history

The Opua locals breathed a sigh of relief when the nature of Greg and Diane Haliday’s holiday home renovation was revealed. There was concern, the Halidays understand, that something steel, glassy, monstrous and out of sync would emerge. Instead, the house’s colonial charm was retained. And that’s how it should be, the Halidays say, given the house they bought is a century old and was a local icon. Sitting on a promontory, it’s been home to British diplomats who were descendants of the British Army’s original arms suppliers, and to the local harbour master. Diane and Greg have photos of the house dating back to the 1930s showing two masts – one was the flagpole that still stands, and they surmise the other was a radio mast for signalling ships.

Greg, a history buff, has relished finding out what he can about the house, which pre-dates council records and which has been named Rāwhitiroa “for a very long time”; he believes it means endless summer. It’s apt, given Greg and Diane have noticed when sitting on the verandah during summer “that life can quietly pass you by… day by day”.

Rāwhitiroa became the Halidays in 2012, after another property deal (fortuitously, they say) fell through. They were staying on their boat in Opua’s

marina at the time. “We whipped up to see this place and fell in love with it,” Greg tells. They holidayed in it, as is, for three years with their three children, Cameron, now 28, James, 26, and Kathleen, 23.

The house had been renovated in the 1960s but some of its original flavour remained. The Halidays’ plans involved a very modest budget and to “simply knock a few walls out” to enlarge the tiny kitchen, for example. “We had a slight budget overrun – about twentyfold,” Greg laughs, when they ended up taking the house back to ground zero, Diane adds.

Architect Andrew Daly helped with this decision and says that the original bungalow had no redeeming features other than the verandahs. His solution was an open, modern home with a historic twist which evolved into South Pacific French colonial architecture: “An obvious reference is Pompallier House just across the bay in Russell,” Andrew explains.

Diane and Greg say it was important the house looked as if it had always

‘An obvious reference is Pompallier House, just across the bay’

THIS PAGE (clockwise from left) Diane was keen on a “white and fresh” decor warmed with rimu floors. This round painting, copied from a 1950s German shipping line dinner menu, was rescued from the old house where it was recessed, porthole style, in the bathroom door. The bunkroom will be perfect for grandchildren one day and the fish sculpture is to inspire the next generation. OPPOSITE The artwork behind the dining room glass doors is a Bay of Islands Paihia Swordfish Club sign from the 1960s found at an antiques store; the light is from ECC.

been there and that it was not to be “grandiose”. They stayed mostly within the footprint of the original home, kept the front steps, some specimen trees and original camellias, an old shed and, of course, the flagpole.

The renovation involved adding a second storey solely for the master suite, with other bedrooms and a bunkroom on the ground floor.

The Halidays had fun dressing their Opua pad – especially Greg, who’s scored some fabulous finds. A ship’s wheel was bought at auction for a quarter of its estimated value and now decorates the stairwell. It’s from the Lady Jocelyn which reputedly brought more immigrants to New Zealand than any other vessel, Greg says.

Greg’s success at big game fishing is evident in the blue and black marlin taxidermy heads on show. Marlin and swordfish bills in the living area tell the tale of Diane’s fishing ventures too. Diane’s is bigger – something that seems to repeatedly come up in conversation, Greg jokes. Framed fishing lures include a wooden one from the 1880s, one of the oldest in New Zealand.

Diane and Greg own a freight company in Auckland but are looking forward to spending more time at Opua in retirement. Greg tells how travelling up to the Bay of Islands includes an uplifting moment when they breast the hill and first see their holiday home. And when it’s time to leave, Diane knows they’re both thinking the same thing: why are we leaving? “And, I always say don’t look back. We don’t. It’s a very hard place to leave.”

‘I always say don’t look back... It’s a very hard place to leave’

THESE PAGES When Diane and Greg Haliday bought their Opua property in the Bay of Islands, the gardens were so overgrown that the water view was blocked: “We preserved specimen trees that were being choked and have planted a lot of the palms. There’s lots of native bush and birds,” says Diane.

THIS PAGE Greg jokes how he hoists the flag when Diane joins him on trips to Opua: “The flag’s only hoisted when the Queen is in residence”; it came with the marlin weathervane on top which Greg took as a good omen given his love for fishing; p¯ohutukawa trees are evenly spaced across the front of the property. OPPOSITE The verandah is a spot that’s hard to beat, say the Halidays; the tongue-and-groove ceiling and decorative posts help add to the rebuilt house’s character.

THESE PAGES Deep verandahs are about the only feature that survived the ground-up renovation; a wide lawn leads to the flagpole and to steps leading down to the water’s edge; the property is just over 7000sqm and is bordered at the back and side by bush.

THESE PAGES (clockwise from above) The fire is a must for winter visits; architect Andrew Daly says that the temptation to create a large fireplace was rejected for a purpose-built low fire that doesn’t restrict the view. The swing chairs are perfect for an evening wine, says Diane; the decking board screws were capped for a seamless look. Greg commissioned the art to depict the view from the house at dawn; his fishing trophies are arranged below, however most fish are tagged and released.

THIS PAGE (from left) Fishing mementoes in the stairwell include framed lures, antique fishing rods and a fish sculpture Greg commissioned when in a Tongan fishing tournament which features a real marlin bill. Marlin heads are displayed further up the stairs. OPPOSITE The ensuite has a freestanding bath with a sensational view; the light is from ECC.

THESE PAGES The call was made to incorporate an upper storey when the house was rebuilt: “We went upstairs to maximise the view – also we’d run out of house footprint. The house just tempted us to put another floor on – it’s one of the best things we did,” Greg says.