Colorado calls them home . . .
American couple says fond farewell to their Coromandel hideaway after 10 years,
Haheilujah is the name of this Hahei property and it sums up the joy Ricki and John McHugh have had in owning the beachfront home for 10 years. “It is a magic spot,” says Ricki, of their home overlooking Hahei Beach and Mercury Bay. The Colorado-based couple had been looking for a place in the Southern Hemisphere where they could escape the severity of their winters.
A Kiwi friend suggested they look in New Zealand. And so they did, travelling throughtout the country until it was suggested they look at Hahei.
There their search ended, at No. 26 Tutaritari Rd. But the property at No. 40 was the one they always admired, and they kept in touch with the owner, saying they would like the option to buy if she ever decided to sell.
Just when they had given up hope, the owner rang to say she was selling, at age 93, to move to Wellington. They didn’t hesitate, says Ricki, although it was a financial stretch to temporarily own both homes.
“The house is set back from the sea, you don’t see your neighbours, you only see the garden and the ocean,” says Ricki.
“It’s the iconic place on a bluff overlooking the beach and everyone knows it in Hahei. It has character, a lot of personality. My husband describes it as ‘New Zealand bach meets Euro design’.”
Ricki and John set to work restoring and expanding the house, their intention being to split the year between hemispheres.
“We would come out early January until the first week of April, and sometimes October and half of November,” says Ricki.
A lot of their time was spent improving the home and landscaping the garden. “I call my husband the reluctant gardener; he’s doing a great job.”
They kept the home’s footprint, but added twoand-a-half new bathrooms, better insulation and roofing, sound-reducing windows, all with flyscreens, and redid the kitchen with Caesarstone bench and Miele and Liebherr appliances.
For winter warmth, they find in-floor heating in new areas is enough to warm the entire home.
Upstairs is the master bedroom and bathroom, another half bathroom, the new kitchen, lounge, dining and laundry.
Downstairs has a bedroom, lots of storage, a bathroom and lounge with a sofa bed. This is where Ricki does her design work.
“And you know the saying about kitchen sinks, well we couldn’t find what we wanted locally so John bought back one granite sink and another marble one from the US on the plane.”
Kwila decks on both levels wrap around the house so there is always a spot to sit whatever the temperature and the weather. An outside shower has hot and cold water. “You shower all year round there if you want.”
The bathrooms are Ricki’s passion, beautifully decorated with Hansgrohe tapware and double showers. Instead of a grand mirror in the master bathroom, a large picture window looks out at the garden. Pathways lead through the garden to the beach, with a backdrop of pohutukawa and mature specimen plants, some in gigantic pots.
Sculptures include local artists’ koru and spears, and a large bronze Buddha from the US. There are ferns, cycads and palms, and a Japanese meditation garden.
The couple spend a lot of time at the house but also enjoy catching up with friends and eating at local restaurants and cafes at garden centres, where there’s always a chance they might spot another plant for the garden.
But they have now decided to sell as they are finding their US-based business is taking the bulk of their time and they are spending less time at Hahei. “And this is a house that needs a family who will want to keep it for generations to come,” says Ricki.