A small Hawke's Bay house which made a big splash after it was announced the best designed bach in New Zealand is looking for a new owner.
First Light House at 28 Lightning Ridge View, Waimarama, won the Best Designed Bach Award at the 2019 Bookabach Bach of the Year Awards and it is now on the market for sale.
The house's owner, Les Holland, has owned the home for six years. "While we took the decision to explore selling we remain very set on the 'right price'," he said.
He said the home has attracted a lot of interest. "We worked hard to keep the house in its best shape and have tried not to turn the spot into anything beyond the basic comforts the house affords and the incredible location on the hill," he said.
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The property, which has a CV of $1.17 million and is for sale by price by negotiation, is being marketed by Tremains sales agent Sarah Pinckney-Welch.
The eco-home was designed and built by University of Victoria architectural students, and first went on display in Wellington, with the same students going on to run their own business, First Light Studio.
It was then shipped to Washington DC in 2012 to compete in the international Solar Decathlon Competition where it came first in engineering, second for architecture and third overall.
It was permanently sited on Lightning Ridge overlooking the white sands of Waimarama Beach, a 25-minute drive from Havelock North.
The house has substantial indoor-outdoor flow with more than 100m of decks overlooking the surf beach.
Along with sweeping views down to Cape Kidnappers and out to sea to Bare Island, the location is perfect for such a special house.
This one-bedroom isn't overly big but Holland says that's what he likes about the place.
"I love that it is small, essentially one big family room," he said. "So a visit to the beach takes us back to basics, board games and conversations, long since lost in our regular home."
First Light House bach is booked around 120 nights a year, but it comes at a bit of a cost - on average $370 a night.
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