The ultimate, intimate or family retreat
Arguably the best located home on this golden peninsula this stunning beachfront pied-a-terre offers a unique balance of relaxation and contemporary design, says Rakesh Krishnan.
Sue and Jerry Blakely couldn’t have asked for a more stimulating setting for their dream home, which goes by the mystical name of Hukawopa. Secluded, serene and paparazzi-free, the golden sands of Tata Beach are magical even in winter. Clear blue skies, waves lapping on shelving sand and birdsong in the surrounding pohutukawa – living is blissfully uncomplicated here.
The couple are doubly fortunate as theirs is one of the few sections with gardens fronting the golden sands. “When we first came across it 10 years ago, it was the loveliest beach we’d ever seen,” they say. “Resistance was futile.”
The depth, colour and quality of the sea water lapping the sands, the two beautiful islands calling from offshore, the cave and cleftridden limestone hinterlands behind, the lovely-eccentric Takaka communities, the near enough/ far enough aspect from home – to have all those things together in one property is indeed incredible.
Clearly, Tata Beach is an exclusive enclave, one of New Zealand’s loveliest retreats. It is located far from a worrying world, though not so remote as to be a concern. The main township is Takaka, just 14km from Tata Beach. Takaka has a supermarket, fuel, shops, an information site, markets, schools and a secondary college. The area abounds in cafes, restaurants, craft shops and galleries.
Takaka Hill, also known as The Marble Mountain, is the gatekeeper to this paradise. But if you are coming from outside the region, just fly straight into Takaka from Wellington and hire a jeep, for that’s all you’ll need here.
Beautifully built with quality, care and class, the 210 square metre feature-rich home is perfect for summer’s lazy days as well as romantic winter escapes. The place has an immediate impression of reassuring quality and a designer’s hand at every turn –an “oh-this-isnice” moment.
“It’s a sensual home in that light, sun, sea-air and nature’s soft aromas are welcomed into every corner of it,” Sue says. “The balance between relaxation and clever design happily blend here in the warmth of timber and the snappy sophistication of steel and aluminium. In the morning a merrily dishevelled racket in preparation for the day, in the evening a quietly graceful charmer with low lights, evening air, crickets chirping, and a cobalt-blue sky with a silver moon.”
The property faces directly north with views sweeping east to west. In winter, the sunlight cascades into the house from all angles. Sea and beach views are enjoyed from the main lounge/ living area, the kitchen – even from the pantry – one of the original bach’s double bedrooms, and even from the inner courtyard.
According to Sue and Jerry, “It a place where there’s not one, nor even two magic moments. In this particular property such moments just don’t stop, not even after years of ownership.”
At the end of our tour, we had only one question to ask of Sue and Jerry: Why on earth are you selling? “Our family have families of their own now, scattered the world over,” they explain. “They won’t be back, so we’re going to see them.”
If ever there was a place, a country, and a time to secure a seriously beautiful pied-a-terre, this would have to be it.