MANGAWHAI HEADS
12 PAKIRI WAY
Absolute beachfront wasn’t a requirement for Barry and Susan Darroch when they were looking for somewhere to build a holiday home several years ago. Certainly they wanted sea views, but beachfront equals busy and that wasn’t in the brief.
Barry had just sold his business and a beach house was top of the list, and he was looking around Pakiri because his grandparents and parents had owned baches in the area.
He and his son eventually came across what Barry prosaically describes as “a nice lump of land“, on the hill above the beach with ever-changing ocean and dune views. Eight years ago the two of them — both engineers — began planning the family’s holiday home.
The brief was fairly straightforward — a big house to accommodate the large family of five children, with separate spaces to provide privacy for parents, kids and guests. Good light and views from all the rooms were other requirements. A house with the living areas and master suite upstairs, and other bedrooms on the ground floor fulfilled their needs.
They rented a property in the area while the house was being built and came up every second weekend to see what was happening. The building company they chose was excellent and the final result worked perfectly for the family.
The two-storeyed house, while simple, has an imposing look with its dark cladding and feature block wall. Sliding glass doors open all the rooms up to the outside, where the balconies have glass balustrades.
An atrium leads from the ground floor upstairs to the big, L-shaped living area incorporating a sitting area, dining table and a sleek, uncluttered kitchen.
Susan enjoys cooking there and her daughter and daughter-in-law are also good cooks who take advantage of the well-planned space with bush and ocean views.
This living area is flanked by decks on either side, which means there’s always somewhere to sit that is protected from the wind. The rear deck accommodates the spa, which is a favourite hangout in the cooler months.
Also on the upper level is the master suite with bathroom, dressing room and study area. “It’s selfcontained, so the kids can be screaming around and you can lock yourself away up here,” Barry says. “It’s very well-planned for the boss of the place.”
Downstairs there are two king-sized bedrooms opening to a patio with ocean and dune views, a bathroom with tiled walk-in shower, bath, toilet and twin hand basins.
Across the hall there’s a super-sized bunk room with dual bunks and a kitchenette for early morning risers. It’s a favourite spot for watching TV movies.
The interior walls and ceilings are white, contrasting with rich timber floors in the living area and carpeted bedrooms. Susan has further warmed the spaces with a palette of taupe and coffee shades for furnishings and rugs.
“The engineers made a great job of the design and I wanted to make sure it was a warm, family-friendly space,” she says.
As well as the practical layout of the house, she loves the bush, pointing out that she and Barry planted 300 native trees on the site.
“And I’m really glad we put in the two big lawns,” she adds. “A lot of modern beach houses don’t have lawns but they’ve been great for the kids — they even play croquet there.”
She has also loved the easy walk down to the water’s edge, the morning sun on the deck, and the amazing night sky, especially in winter.
But she and Barry are philosophical about moving on. “We have too much else happening now and we’re not using it enough.” Size: Land 4450sq m, house 285sq m. Price: Above the CV of $1.18 million. Auction: 1 March. Inspect: Sun, 1pm-1.45pm. Schools: Mangawhai Beach School, Otamatea High School. Contact: Robbie Robertson, Bayleys, 021 959 798. On the web: bayleys.co.nz/1150249