Unique 70s family getaway

A ‘home away from home’ has grown and flourished over the years, writes Robyn Welsh

In the mid-1970s, John Courtenay took his three daughters on a boat trip to Great Barrier Island that changed their lives forever. It was meant to be fun but the crashing waves frightened the girls so much that he decided instead to look for a holiday home within driving distance of their home in Bayswater, on Auckland’s North Shore.

He found it near the coastal town of Leigh. And it was if the family were meant to end up here.

John knew this area as a boatie and through his parents’ tenure as the caretakers of the Martins Bay campgrounds — and his middle daughter is named Leigh.

From day one, it was clear this land was special, with its multiple dwellings, Omaha Cove and Pacific Ocean beach access as well as bountiful seafood and native birdlife.

“It was mostly about the land back then,” says Leigh. “I remember my mother, Marcelline, out in her bikini smashing through the gorse.

“We all helped to clear the land but she was the gardener and the landscaper.

“After she died, Dad took over and planted the native trees. In the main driveway the wonderful blooms of colour that greet you are Dad’s work too. He never stopped coming up with ideas.”

John Courtenay, a pioneer in the plastics industry, passed away last December. He left behind this creative legacy that includes a synchronized jet fountain, the viewing platform, his bespoke bird feeder, and pizza oven.

His imprint was far less about tinkering unnecessarily with the 1970s three-bedroom house than effecting cost-effective, beach-vibe solutions where required.

“He was never pretentious. He worked really hard for what he had,” says Leigh.

“This was meant to be just a weekend bach but it really became our second home.”

Home centred on three main dwellings — the main house, the mezzanine bedroom/games room they called Woodstock, and the renovated cottage where John lived for 10 years until it was destroyed by fire last year.

Other changes to the site included upgrading the caravan spot overlooking the beach, and turning a prefabricated building into the one-bedroom pad with kitchen and bathroom the family called Club Nautique.

“It was my favourite place,” says Leigh. “You’d just open the door to the balcony and you’re overlooking the little bay.”

John also built the twin queen-sized studio rooms, with Leigh’s favourite room earning the moniker The Princess Room.

Design-wise, 1970s features in the main house include timber sarking in the kitchen and exposed ceiling rafters. The decor was dark when the Courtenay family arrived here. “There were curtains that looked like a 1960s psychedelic music festival,” says Leigh. “In some ways I wish we’d kept them.”

Leigh and her sisters would have loved their own children to add more memories to this property (it can sleep 12), but they know it is time to move on.

“I don’t think I’d ever find quite anything like this again,” she said.