Issue 34 February/March 2010
A Hawke’s Bay farming family cherish their holiday time at Lake Tarawera.
Words Soraya Nicholas Photography Kelvin Teixeira
Forty years ago a Hawke's Bay farming family, travelling with four young children in their caravan, visited friends at Lake Tarawera in Rotorua and fell in love with the pristine water and wilderness of the lakefront. By good fortune, an old bach on the water’s edge of the same intimate bay was for sale. The deal was "walk-in/walk-out" and included furniture, bedding, the boat in the shed and even a Clarice Clift porcelain dinner set. After much deliberation, the bach was eventually purchased. Fast forward four decades and the four siblings have a waterfront section each, subdivided from the original property. With their parents in a neighbouring house on a large section, allowing the family tradition of holidaying together every summer to continue.
This home is built on one of those sections and is now the favourite destination of the eldest son and his family including their four children, aged 11-21 years. After years of the classic Kiwi ‘bach’ experience of camping and squeezing around a small table, this new home has taken the word ‘bach’ to an entirely new level, able to accommodate extended family and friends with ease, whilst maintaining a barefoot, relaxed and comfortable atmosphere for all ages.
Designed by local NZIA Graduate member Fred Stevens of Architecture Aotearoa, the holiday home was intended to mould and weather into the landscape, with a creative twist. Simple materials combined with refined architecture have resulted in the creation of a dwelling at one with the heritage of the area. “My intention with all the homes I design is to make them respond to Aotearoa,” explains Fred. “The homeowners have a spiritual connection, a real affinity, with this land, from the years their family has been visiting here. Because I live nearby, I understand how special it is, and how important it was to relate to the environment and history of the area.”
It was precisely this attitude that caused the homeowners to approach Fred, to interpret their design ideas. “We all agreed on the idea that it had to be chunky in style, and that it had to reflect the atmosphere of the bay. Incorporating timber from our farm in the Hawke's Bay was also a non-negotiable inclusion.” Fred was more than pleased to pay homage to their farm, with his desire to be as “sustainable as possible with the materials used.” Rimu and Macrocarpa were milled as required on the farm, and then delivered to the site.
Builder Roland Tissink, owner of Tissink Builders, was given the task of working with the timber as he constructed the home. “He was fantastic, and he loved our passion for timber, and our understanding of it as a building product.” He was also open to the homeowners' ideas, and his attention to detail and overall craftsmanship was exemplary.”
To read more from this feature see Issue 34. Available from 0800 2 homestyle.