A beach house owned by Richard and Brenda Harris in the North Island town Omaha has claimed gold at the 2022 Bach of the Year Awards.
The four-bedroom home is 100m from the beach with a modern design that the Bookabach judges said blends the indoor and outdoor spaces seamlessly.
The Omaha Beach House is a dog-friendly home that features a sheltered outdoor room with an open fireplace as well as an outdoor spa pool.
"We're honoured, we feel really privileged. We didn't see this coming," the home's owner and architect Richard told Newshub.
"We also feel affirmed because we put a lot of effort into the vision for the place, to create something that we felt was a special seaside retreat. To have that recognised by others is affirming and feels great.
"Brenda and I have spent a lot of time trying to shape the place for ourselves. We've tried to make a fantastic garden and bring that garden into the house - to create a place where the garden and the home were interwoven."
Brenda said the garden is her favourite part of the home.
"I am a gardener and I love gardening. I love the garden's native plants - and the birds. I have a little blackbird that's very close to me whenever I'm in the garden there, just waiting for the worms to be upturned. It's a very peaceful place to be."
At the time of publishing, the property has a 4.9 out of 5 rating on Bookabach, based on 109 reviews.
Many of the customer reviews praise the design, the spa pool and the relaxing feel of the home.
"The common response is about the ambience, the feeling of calm people say they have when they are in the place," Brenda told Newshub.
"They may have hectic lives, but once they arrive at the house, open all the doors and experience the garden and the spa, they get to the outdoor room and light a fire in the fireplace, and they say they just completely relax.
"That's the sort of comment we appreciate and we feel their calmness that they get from the place as well."
Bookabach said the Bach of the Year Award finalists are all located in popular holiday destinations across Aotearoa and had to meet required selection criteria including a combination of 4 to 5-star ratings, positive guest reviews, number of bookings and family-friendly amenities available.
The Omaha Beach House won the top honour over a Martinborough olive grove villa that won silver, and a Waiheke Island heritage cottage.
Other finalist properties were located in Raglan, Onemana, Whangamoa, Mangawhai Heads, Nelson, Lake Rotorua and Muriwai.
More information and photos of all finalist listings can be found on the Bookabach website.
