The owner of a classic bach on Waihi Beach is selling it after 38 years because she only lives five minutes away.
The first time Elisabeth Boulton and her husband went to the Western Bay of Plenty town in the early 1980s, they bought a bach directly across the road from the beach.
Boulton told OneRoof they had been staying in a motel at that time and asked each other that if they were going to buy there, what would it be.
“So we drove all the way around and found Broadway and thought ‘this is perfect’ because in those days you just walked over the sand dunes to the beach – there was no fencing there. It was all very open.”
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When they purchased it in the mid-1980s they were the only family from Auckland to own a property there, she said, because nearly every beach house was owned by a Waikato farmer.
The couple carried out a massive extension to the rear of the property in the 1990s, almost doubling its size and transforming it into a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home. At the same time, the kitchen was also renovated, while many of its original features, such as the spiral staircase, were retained.
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The Boultons spent many happy holidays with their four children at the bach enjoying their quiet spot near the end of the road by the reserve.
So when the couple decided to retire early, they made a beeline for the area.
Boulton, who previously worked as a music examiner, said she had travelled all over the country for work and couldn’t think of a better area to live in. “It’s paradise.”
They purchased an orchard 5kms away in nearby Athenree in the early 2000s and relocated there permanently.
The bach was kept because they had talked about eventually developing and living in it when they were ready to move from the orchard. However, an unexpected and sad turn of events changed those plans.
“My husband died five years ago and I cannot be bothered – it’s just too much on my own.”
The four-bedroom, two-bathroom property has uninterrupted water views. Photo / Supplied
The bach has retained some of its original features including a spiral staircase. Photo / Supplied
Boulton said she often walked her dog along the beach past the bach, but while she still wanted to keep it, she knew that was “ridiculous” when it wasn’t getting much use.
She has instead decided to sell it and to stay in her Athenree home, which also boasts breathtaking sea views out to Mayor Island. Family members also stay with her at Athenree rather than at the bach when they visit.
“We have been too blessed. We have been blessed with fantastic places and one of them somebody else needs to enjoy the bach now.”
Harcourts agent Graeme Morrison said properties on the prime waterfront positions were very tightly held and seldom came to market, especially those on a full-sized 809sqm section like 112 Broadway Road. People could either enjoy it as is or renovate and redevelop the site, he said.
There's only a road separating the bach from the beach. Photo / Supplied
Morrison said he had already received interest from out-of-towners with links to the town including someone living in Australia.
The last property to sell on Broadway Road was a basic bach several doors down which sold for $1.855m in a competitive auction last October. Most of the buyers interested in that property had wanted it for land value only and eventually planned to bowl the home and replace it with a new build.
Morrison said Waihi Beach continued to grow in popularity, which could be because it was extremely affordable compared to other Coromandel beach towns such as Whangamata and Pauanui where beachfront properties sold for more than double the price.
“It does represent good buying opportunities for people and we are still only a two-hour drive from Auckland. It’s arguably a better beach and easier to get to.”
It was “always a major event” when a waterfront property hit the market for sale as it didn’t happen often, he said.
He considered any properties with unobstructed views of the water and nothing standing between them and the water to be beachfront property. While some people wanted one of the nine absolute waterfront properties further along Broadway Road or on Shaw Road, he said others were more cautious about climate change and preferred ones with the protection of the road in between.
He also believed there wasn’t a better place to watch the sun or moon rise from.
“It’s almost a religious experience to watch the full moon come up over the water. Moonrise and sunrise are just absolutely stunning.”
- 112 Broadway Road, Waihi Beach, Western Bay Of Plenty, goes to auction on October 6
