The bach at the beach

AWaikanae Beach bach can be bought with a neighbouring home to create the ultimate seaside sanctuary.

The two-bedroom house, at 43 Field Way, is for sale separately or together with 41 Field Way.

The vendors have owned 41 Field Way for 42 years and bought their neighbour’s home privately 15 years ago.

They say both properties represent the “very essence” of the holiday lifestyle Kiwis crave: “The bach at the beach.”

Like the adjoining beach house, 43 Field Way is on a leafy, sheltered 1012-square-metre section and was among the first baches to be built in the area in the 1960s.

It was upgraded in the late 1970s but has been largely untouched since then.

The 120sqm dwelling has a Summerhill stone exterior with a tile roof, and includes an internal garage that could be used for firewood or general storage given the amount of offstreet parking.

The setting is amazingly private. It’s set back from the street, amid shrubs and trees, and faces west over sand dunes and the mouth of the Waimeha Stream to Kapiti Island and the northern tip of the South Island.

The northwest aspect also encompasses Mount Taranaki on a clear day, yet is unusually sheltered because of how the property is angled towards the coastline.

Previous owners would walk through the dunes to the beach but now use of public access ways is recommended, the vendors say.

“According to the local sand dune restoration group, a lively group of experts and

volunteers, this helps to prevent the individual ‘wind and weed tunnels ‘ that compromise the dunes over time. A 30-year weed eradication programme is under way.”

The vendors, meanwhile, have groomed the three pohutukawa trees on the boundary with 41 Field Way.

“We’ve removed all the lower growth and encouraged the overreaching canopy.”

The house’s living and dining areas are configured for an indoor-outdoor lifestyle

They are open plan with a steeply pitched cathedral-like ceiling with exposed rafters.

Three sets of sliding doors open up these spaces to the colourful wraparound garden patio with its pinks, yellows and greens.

A feature of the interior is the stone hearth next to the kitchen, which faces east for morning sun and has an electric range.

Each of the double bedrooms has a built-in wardrobe; the main bedroom is sited for late sun and opens to the covered patio it shares with the living/dining areas.

The bathroom has a shower, vanity and toilet.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity,” agent Della Randall says.

“You could soak up the retro vibe, all-day sun and spectacular views.

“Or you could maximise the potential a section of this size offers so close to the beach.

“Even better would be buying 41 and 43 Field Way together to truly unleash the lifestyle or redevelopment that owning more than 2000 square metres of prime beachfront would allow.”