When Wellingtonian David Shoemack logged onto Zoom during the Covid lockdown, his colleagues in Amsterdam did not believe the view behind him was real.
Shoemack’s home at 42 Owhiro Bay Parade is perched on a hill in Ōwhiro Bay and looks out to the beach and across Cook Strait.
“They thought it was a screensaver or a false background,” Shoemack told OneRoof. “They were like, ‘Show us what’s actually behind you’.”
Shoemack and his wife Frances, who had been living in the Netherlands, bought the house sight unseen at the end of 2019 for $910,000 and just managed to move in with their boys before the Covid-19 pandemic struck and the country was put in lockdown.
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“We connected with a real estate agent in 2019 and briefed her about what we were looking for. She said, ‘I think I might know the place’, and we were like, ‘Oh my God, it’s amazing’.”
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The three-bedroom house was designed by renowned architect Roger Walker and has a distinctive nautical flavour – “think lighthouse meets boat”. It is on the market for sale with Lowe & Co agents Craig Lowe and Jackie Farrell and, despite boasting a 2021 RV of $1.34 million, is looking for buyer enquiry over $895,000.
The agents have highlighted the property’s unique features and the fact it comes with the “best plunge pool in the world” – i.e. the bay below.
The property certainly made an impression on the Shoemacks when they first moved in. The boys were three and five when the family arrived back in New Zealand and had only known life in Amsterdam. They were shocked they had to climb 100 stairs to get to their home. “On the first day, they couldn’t even walk up the stairs,” Shoemack told OneRoof. “The little one asked, ‘Papa, could you carry me?’ I said, ‘OK, we’ll carry you today, but then we need to get strong’.
The views across Cook Strait and to the Kaikouras are jaw-dropping. Photo / Supplied
The property has an RV of $1.34m but is looking for buyer enquiry over $895,000. Photo / Supplied
“It’s been a really cool place to live in terms of integrating-stair climbing strength into your daily life,” he said.
The Shoemacks have carefully modernised the interior of the home, not wanting to lose its original charm. “We’ve tried to keep the house true to what it was because we think it’s an amazing space.”
The upgrading included adding a wood burner, new tiles, bookshelves and a brand new sauna, which gets used after the family’s daily swim.
“It was during the Covid lockdown. We were a bit tired, and we had the kids at home. Mental health wasn’t great, and we said, ‘Oh, let’s go for a swim today’,” Shoemack told OneRoof.
The sauna gets used daily. Photo / Supplied
"We had a good swim and said, ‘That was great. Let’s do it tomorrow’. Three and a bit years later I’m still swimming every day.”
The home is south facing, but that’s a bonus for the family. “Winter is the most amazing season on the south coast because it’s still and clear and you can see straight across to the Kaikouras and all their glory with snow on them,” Shoemack said.
The Shoemacks are selling up because the boys are getting older. Their new home is in Brooklyn, close to the boys’ school and the couple’s jobs. “Frances and I both have quite big jobs. She’s in Aro Valley and I’m in Newtown. So we can both walk to work now within 15 minutes,” Shoemack said.
Frances founded Abel Fragrance in Amsterdam, and the business is now based in Wellington. Her signature perfume Cyber Nori, was inspired by the colours of Ōwhiro Bay. Shoemack is the chief executive of Goodnature, which makes the “world’s smartest rat traps”.
The 103sqm home has three double bedrooms, two bathrooms and a one-car garage, and sits on 1310sqm of land.
- 42 Owhiro Bay Parade in Ōwhiro Bay, Wellington, is for sale by tender, closing October 10
