Chasing The Sun

Turning their bach into their permanent home means the holiday vibes don't stop for this family

- Debbie Harrison

It’s not uncommon to be on holiday and remark, “If only I could live like this every day.” Reuben and Amy Nicklin said the same thing about being at their Foxton Beach bach – and then they made it a reality.

They bought the bach – which was just a half-hour drive from their then-home in Palmerston North – in 2016. The search for the perfect getaway spot had taken years, but when they finally found it they realised the possibilities were huge.

“We saw this place but thought it would be way out of our price range,” Amy says. “It was advertised as five bedrooms, two bathrooms, but we checked it out anyway. It turned out that it was two separate dwellings: a three-bedroom and a two-bedroom which was tenanted with an income. We couldn’t believe it.”

The couple drove out every Sunday to every open home to check on interest and eye up the competition. They ended up being the only people at the auction. “It was just before the market took off; it was the best timing in the world,” Amy says.

For months afterward, the family would pack their bags and head off to the bach for the weekend, driving home on Sunday night or Monday morning. “It eventually got to the point where we wondered why we didn’t just move out here full time,” says Reuben. “We both work from home so we didn’t have that holding us back.”

THE BUILD

Initially they planned to renovate the three-bedroom bach but the builders and architect advised against it. “They said it was a big job and we’d be going so far back to come forward,” Reuben says.

“They recommended we just demolish it and start with a clean slate. So we kept the original foundation and added on a few little pockets for extra space.”