A classic Piha bach right on the front row is on the market - just metres away from the site of the World Surf League Challenge which kicks off March 16. With luck, the winner of the February 26 auction could be hosting mates on the front-row seats on the lawn.
The Bayleys agent marketing the property, Chris Head says that this is one of only two beach-front properties on the market in Piha at the moment.
"This is a very exciting offering,” he says. “It’s the sort of place that’s becoming increasingly rare, with only two owners in the past 70 years.”
The current owner, former surf-lifesaver Brian Ward, says the best thing about his much-loved Piha holiday home is the fact that you can simply glance out the window in the morning and see if conditions are good for swimming or surfing.
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“It’s unusual to have such a large section right on the beachfront. It's 1179 sq m.”
He says that when they bought the 65sqm, weatherboard, two-bedroom 1920s bungalow - twenty years ago, he and his late wife had great plans for extending it.
“But then we realised that most of our family and friends had tents and caravans, so we didn’t really need extra space in the house itself and we decided to renovate it instead.”
In the course of the work the original heart matai and rimu floorboards were exposed and polished and a modern kitchen and bathroom were installed.
The mood of the house is bright, light and airy and its character is still very much intact.
The Piha property at 64 Beach Valley Rd has only had two owners in the last 70 years. Photo/ Supplied.
Brian says that he deliberately kept things simple as most of the living takes place on the extensive decking during summer, and there’s an outdoor shower and toilet for beach goers.
He knows it’s inevitable that developers will take an interest in the property and says that the house could quite easily be moved off if required, or even be lifted.
“There have been some very large houses built around us in the last few years, so some people might want to do that, but they could extend this one and make it much larger.
Brian recently brought a catamaran out from France and he can’t use it in Piha so he’s bought a property over in Pauanui.
He says he will be quite sad leaving because Piha’s such a great spot, and only 40 or so minutes’ drive from Herne Bay.
“We’ve had some very happy family occasions including two weddings held in marques on the lawn with around 140 guests, and there was plenty of room for everybody.”
The 1920s bungalow has a lookout, and plenty of room on the lawn for friends and family to camp. Photo / Supplied.
Agent Chris realises there’s a good chance that the home will be bowled but says he agrees with Brian that this needn’t be the case.
“It was originally a logger’s home and it stands out especially because of its unusually high ceilings. The current owner has looked after it really well, it’s is beautifully presented and could be greatly enhanced.”
He says the home is garnering a lot of positive interest and expects that the auction will be a "revelatory occasion" in terms of price expectations. The property has a current CV of $1.22m.
“The kinds of people who would be looking to buy out here keep their feelings - and their budgets - very close to their chests!
“This truly is a home that needs a family, and the short commute time from Auckland makes it very feasible for new owners to come out regularly and really enjoy living here.”
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