Wharetukura Bay banner

Our clients and their family have been holidaying in Wharetukura Bay in Queen Charlotte Sounds for many years. This is their special place, where they gather together with family and friends.

The small bay is fringed by steep hills clad in bush, with a beautiful beach and a cluster of houses and boats beyond.

In the beginning there was a small simple kiwi bach on the site, with a lawn that rolled down to the beach. Their three girls were little and Chester the Labrador was a puppy. As the years went by they dreamed of a new modern contemporary holiday house that could accommodate multiple family groups and many friends.

The new house is nestled quietly into the bush treading lightly on the land. It opens up to the lawn and the beach beyond. It is sunny, makes the most of the beautiful views and has been built around the established garden.

The form of the house merges into the landscape. A central courtyard built around an established Punga Fern, provides a sheltered outdoor area away from predominant NW winds. It has views through the transparent glass walls of the house to the Sounds beyond.

The stained cedar clad upper level of the house matches the Pohutakawa bark. It floats above the lower level with its abundance of glass sliding doors. A clearly defined composition of solid and void create a simple sculptured form that required precise detailing.

This is a holiday home that expresses our client’s personality. It includes NZ sails from the recent Rio Olympic Games and a boatshed made from a lifeboat from the Interisland ferry the Arahura, that use to sail past the house.

It is an intergenerational holiday home that provides relaxed family living in harmony with a very special landscape.

Novak + Middleton
Wellington

About the
Professional

Novak+Middleton is an NZIA award-winning architectural practice. We specialise in creating innovative and quality architecture, offering a comprehensive personalised service to our clients. The thirty year working relationship of the practice directors has grounded Novak+Middleton with extensive experience in all aspects of residential and commercial architecture, including large scale multi-unit housing, new homes, additions and alterations, and interior architectural design.

As an architectural practice we believe the strength of good design stems from a sensible and honest use of materials and space, combined together with a thorough understanding of a client's objectives. These can then be integrated in a contemporary manner that is appropriate to each individual client.

Our team has considerable experience, offering design and technical excellence. Our professional service covers all facets of the build, from the initial meeting through to completion of the project.

While our experience is essential, so too is our commitment to each individual client and their community. The ability to provide a quality service with an outstanding result is paramount in the philosophy of our architectural practice.

At ArchiPro we recognise and acknowledge the existing, original and ancient connection Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have to the lands and waterways across the Australian continent. We pay our respects to the elders past and present. We commit to working together to build a prosperous and inclusive Australia.