Nautical theme to the fore
Spacious waterside home comes with America’s Cup provenance, writes Donna McIntyre
America’s Cup veteran Barry McKay’s love of the water played a major influence in the purchase and design of his waterfront property at Point Wells. “When we bought the property, we were living in Auckland and looking for something in the hour’s travel- time radius. We loved Point Wells because it was totally under the radar, quiet and a backwater away from the busyness of the world,” says Barry.
Barry and his wife Inga bought the northeastfacing property on the edge of the Whangateau Harbour in the early 2000s, and especially liked that the shoreline of Point Wells has its back to the predominant winds.
At that stage the property had a concrete block bach.
“We loved it but it wasn’t big enough for our family. When we decided to move there full- time, we built the new house.
“This was our coming- to- shore type home. The America’s Cup was 2007 and we made a conscious decision to come ashore instead of travelling around,” says Barry, who was a professional sailor for two decades, including five cup challenges.
Inga’s dad, John Smith, a retired architect, designed the new home with its nautical theme, and Barry, a wooden boat builder by trade, worked on the project with another house builder. The family moved in during 2009.
“We had chosen this property carefully because it is one of the most elevated on the waterfront,” he says. “We wanted four bedrooms for us and our kids and an open- plan living area that spilled out on to the waterfront.
“And we wanted to have that look of simplicity that you often see with boathouses.”
Hence the cedar weatherboards, hard- wearing laminated floors, bi- fold aluminium windows and doors, and the main living area’s white- painted high vaulted ceiling — all elements that work well with the coastal environment.
The home has two external living spaces, one is an internal courtyard — “a little suntrap” — and the other is the terrace and lawn between the home and beach.
“The big thing was creating the connection to the water and maximising the fact it was waterfront,” says Barry.
“We saw it as a wonderful place for our three kids to grow up in a safe waterfront environment. There is a sandbar in front and, at low tide, you can play cricket. At high tide it would be waist deep water and great for the kids to learn their water skills.”
The downstairs level has the open- plan wing with lounge, dining and large kitchen ( with Italian joinery and Smeg appliances) facing the water.
Behind the living areas are a bathroom, office and laundry and a corridor leading to one of two garages.
“We have bi- fold doors and windows so we can open up to the internal courtyard from the hallway and the lounge. And then on the northern side we can open up from the kitchen dining and lounge,” says Barry.
The upper level ( above the living area and garage) has the master bedroom suite facing the water, three more double bedrooms and a family bathroom with built- in bath and mosaic tiles.
A loft above the second garage could be a media room or bunk room.
Barry says the design has a few building quirks from his time as a boat builder.
“The front door has a porthole that was salvaged by Kelly Tarlton, we think, from the Elingamite wreck up at Three Kings. A clinker dinghy half model is mounted on one of the garages. And in the
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NEAREST SCHOOLS: CONTACT: ON THE WEB: internal courtyard, hanging on the northern face of the garage, is some artwork that is part of a shipwreck, the side of an old boat that got crunched on the rocks. You see the planks and the ribs and the copper rivets that held it together.”
Low- maintenance landscaping includes lawn, lemon, apple, fig and orange trees, and hedging for privacy. Barry is particularly proud of the palms by the garages, flanking the walkway through to the main part of the home. “They have a great presence about them with their big solid trunk.” Next to the second garage is a gated area for boat storage.
Barry says they doubled the insulation rating when they built. “We thought it would be smart to spend a bit of money on the insulation and save on the heating costs. It is a warm home, we use the gas fireplace and that is about it.”
They are selling because they now live in Wanaka.
“The thing we loved about it is you have your back to the world. It was a little oasis we could come home to and relax.”