Piha: Pink sky at night

Locals refer to the pink round house as ‘the pillbox’, ‘the castle’ and ‘the water tank’. Photo / Geoff Dale

This quirky, pink Piha round house with fabulous views of the sea and sky offers a beach home with a difference. 

"I can't make it a proviso of the sale, but I just hope someone buys it who loves it like I do."

Lacey Graham fell so deeply in love with the art deco-style, round house at Piha that she spent 18 months persuading the owners to sell it to her.

"I saw it from the beach when I was renting a bach one summer," she says. "They decided if they were going to sell it that I was the one who should have it, because I was so persistent and loved it so much."

She intended to live there forever, but after restoring the landmark property her circumstances changed, and it is with enormous regret that she is selling what the locals call 'the pillbox', 'the water tank' and 'the castle'.

"I can't make it a proviso of the sale, but I just hope someone buys it who loves it like I do," she says.

The Lennard family, who sold it to her, built the house in 1945 using all sorts of demolition material and whatever they could find during post-war shortages.

"They couldn't get all the concrete in one go so they had to wait until they had enough for a bit more of the house," says Lacey.

The oak floor in the upstairs room - now used as the main bedroom - came from a ship, the four-pane window in the same room is made of mirrors with the backs scraped off, and the ceiling is made from old refrigerator packing cases.

Mrs Lennard used to hoist flags from the roof to signal to her five children down on the beach when it was time for lunch.

Mr Lennard took an interest in the Piha timber mill and gave lectures on its history for years. When the mill closed down, its tools were donated to him. These old saws, branding irons and an ancient black kettle decorate the large downstairs fireplace, and are included in the sale.

Mr Lennard even built a replica Kauri dam out the back of the house.

Although not strictly an art deco structure, the house was built using art deco principles. "Someone said they get places like this on the Cornwall coast," says Lacey.

Lacey and her partner spent five years rebuilding the house, which had fallen into decay over the years.

"I'll never forget that first morning," she says. "We moved into this total chaos. The old lino was here, and all the old kapok mattresses. But we woke up at 6am and the moon was setting off the surf. It was this big, fiery orange ball and the sky was pink and the surf was turquoise."

She remembers sitting up at 2am feeding new baby Merle, and water would be seeping through the walls. "My partner liked to call it 'Dickensian'."

Tradesmen stripped the house back to its shell and reconcreted the whole thing. Lacey kept some of features, such as the heavy, arched door that leads into the half-moon-shaped room downstairs.

She also added her own touches, inserting an antique port hole - bought to reward herself for buying her dream house - into the bathroom door.

Upstairs, they installed a new kitchen with multi-coloured tiles, an old-fashioned butler's sink, and stained plywood walls in greens and blues.

The upstairs bathroom pays homage to the 1940s with its medley of mismatched fittings - a blue toilet, pink basin and green bath.

Several tiny bedrooms were converted into a dressing room and a double bedroom.

The front bedroom, which could also be a sitting room, has excellent beach and sea views. The setting sun shines directly through the windows.

Lacey painted the outside of the house a controversial pink. A sheltered courtyard overlooking the beach has become the barbecue area, while the back of the house is framed by pohutukawa. "At Christmas, the whole back yard is filled with red," she says.

"It's a very vibrant place. Everything here is very intense. When the surf is crashing out there, it fills your senses."

The 3402sq m property rises up a steep rock face through native bush to a high ridge. It is far enough above the beach to avoid the crowds and traffic that converge on Piha in summer. "You are guaranteed privacy here," concludes Lacey.

Vital Statistics

ADDRESS: 57 North Piha Rd, Piha.

FEATURES: Unique art-deco-style round house opposite the beach; one to two bedrooms; two bathrooms; two fireplaces; tools from the old Piha timber mill included in sale; replica kauri dam; superb views.

SIZE: Land 3402sq m, house 130sq m.

PRICE: By negotiation. Offers expected in the $900,000s.

AGENTS: Mike Ferris and Sherie O'Neill, Piha Property. Ph Mike 021 543 005 mob; Sherie 027 475 5055 mob.