Daniels Reef Lookout

Located within the east coast township of Leigh, north of Auckland, Daniels Reef is a rocky beach break popular with surfers. It is here that architect Jonathan Smith of Matter was tasked with realising the decades-long vision of a surfer client.

“In his 20s, our client surfed the break at Daniels Reef, looking up at the surrounding land and dreaming of living on it. Thirty-five years later he has created his home here.”

Set on a large, irregularly shaped plot, the home elongates across the site; low-slung and stepped with the land, following the contours in a truncated s-shape.

“The site is underlain by alternating siltstone and volcanic shattered sandstone, flowing around exposed rock ridges,” says Jon. “Ancient pohutukawa trees, clinging tenaciously to the cliffs and cantilevering out into space form the southern boundary, while a small stream crosses through its centre.

“It was these contextual parameters that generated the building form; resulting in a home to be experienced as a series of journeys and discoveries, all while maintaining strong connections to the reef.”

Views and sightlines have been carefully curated throughout the home; shuttered in some areas and picture-framed in others. The informal entry options and transparency of the home’s envelope, invite people to flow inside from the north or down the eastern side, with the interior journey culminating in the living area, which leads onto a soaring deck, providing a feeling of floating into the landscape.

The interior materiality is simple yet refined, with elements of stone and timber punctuating the neutral base palette, providing a nod to the clifftop locale while ensuring the views remain to the fore.

Moving through the home, the journey continues along a planted stone path and landscaped causeway, bridging the stream and ending in a cliff walk down to the reef. The low-maintenance garden designed and installed by Outer Space NZ continues the relaxed, coastal lifestyle vibe established by the architecture.