It was whaling that first lured visitors to The Catlins. Today they come for the big open skies, rugged weather and beaches where the only footsteps on the sand are their own.
It’s why Marie and Everd Strauss built their holiday home – or crib – at Jack’s Bay, an isolated arc of golden sand about six kilometres from Ōwaka, 120km south of Dunedin.
While others may have been put off by the isolation, that was the appeal for Marie, an artist, and Everd, an anaesthetist at Dunedin’s Mercy Hospital. They wanted an escape from busy careers and running a 485ha cattle stud farm on the fringes of Dunedin.
“We wanted a crib where there were no cafés or shops, where we would see no-one,” Marie says. “The aim was a haven where we could read, listen to music, stare at the sea and do nothing.”
Marie and Everd Strauss' lighthouse in Jack's Bay. Photo by Patrick Reynolds.
It was a long time coming: the couple, originally from South Africa, spent 26 years looking for the right spot to build their weekend getaway.
“We had a crib at Dunedin’s Long Beach for a few years but never used it because it was too busy. We really wanted something far removed from the busyness of life.”
In 2017, Everd spotted the 2,023sqm section for sale in the newspaper; phoned his wife, telling her there were penguins and sea lions on the beach. It came on the market on a Friday, and by Monday it was theirs.
Somewhat unusually for its coastal setting, the couple’s vision was for a simple concrete box. “We’ve always liked minimalist architecture and wanted something totally industrial. We needed a building that could withstand the extreme weather conditions and was low-maintenance because we didn’t want our weekends swallowed up by gardening and painting.”
They called upon architect Rich Naish of RTA Studio to realise their vision, attracted by his love of brutalist design. Also, Rich was born in Bluff so he understood the harsh environment.
The couple’s desire for their 145sqm, two-bedroom concrete box to reference a lighthouse stayed truer to its coastal location.
“The project became known as The Lighthouse,” Rich says. “The round porthole window focuses your view on the horizon, the diamond patterned glass references the lamp house enclosure, and splashes of red, steel stairs and ramps are all reminiscent of the coastal lighthouses of The Catlins.”
Sustainability and climate resilience were also critical, he adds. “The house has a minimum floor level set for future sea level rise, but we installed an enclosed sub-floor so that the local nesting sea lions can’t access it.”
Features like circular windows anchor the crib to its marine setting. Photo by Patrick Reynolds.
Insulated concrete panels are plastered to provide a warm and low-energy shell, while the outdoor room has two weather lines of glass doors; in summer the outer layer opens to the warmth and in winter it becomes a cosy conservatory with a woodburning fire.
While the crib is anchored in its marine location, Marie was keen for the interior to include nods to the couple’s heritage and travels.
“I wanted the black staircase to look like the ones I’d seen in the Paris Metro,” she says, while the fabric draped over the mezzanine is from Kenya, the spoils from Marie’s teaching days in Johannesburg.
“Traders would bring their collections to show the university curators, and lecturers sometimes had the chance to buy items.”
Marie is an inveterate collector whose rule is that only items with a good story make it across the threshold.
“Most of the items in the crib have been collected over a long time and each has a story to it. Even newer items, such as the dining chairs, have a story. We couldn’t find what we liked in New Zealand so every time we visited our son in Melbourne, we’d buy chairs to bring home, two at a time.”
You’d expect the home of an artist who specialises in ceramics and painting to feature numerous original pieces. And there are, both by Marie and other local and international artists.
The crib is home to Marie and Everd's collections of art, ceramics and fabrics from around the world. Photo by Patrick Reynolds.
“When we first talked to Rich about the house, he laughed when we said we were minimalists with a big art collection! But this crib is an extension of our home on the farm which includes our art collection. Even though it doesn't look like our farmhouse, it feels like another room of it.”
Most people who have built a house will tell you the process isn’t easy. That wasn't the experience of Marie and Everd. “It was wonderful to work with Rich and we had no challenges at all. Some people say they would never build again, but I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
Story by Sharon Stephenson for the Spring 2024 issue of AA Directions Magazine. Sharon Stephenson is a freelance writer who regularly contributes to AA Directions magazine.
Explore more from AA Directions magazine:
- Follow in the footsteps of Captain Cook on a luxurious Fiordland cruise.
- Discover Project Jonah's role in rescuing marine mammals along our coastlines.
- Is congestion charging the best solution to New Zealand's traffic woes?
