Inside a clifftop home perched high above the ocean in New Zealand, Te Whau by Herbst Architects offers a deeply considered response to coastal living, where architecture heightens the rituals of retreat, gathering and connection to place. Located on Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf, a ferry ride from downtown Auckland, the home sits within a landscape known for its natural beauty. Designed as a beach house, or bach, the residence reflects the clients’ desire for a weekend escape that sits sensitively within its environment while enhancing the experience of being on the land.
Positioned on a remarkable piece of land known as The Point, the home is shaped by two defining views. To one side is Rangitoto, the volcanic island that forms an icon of Auckland; to the other, the Firth of Thames stretches into the distance. Inside a clifftop home perched high above the ocean in New Zealand, arrival is choreographed through compression and release. From the rear deck, the view is carefully cropped, before opening into a panorama as one steps through the threshold. The living space draws the eye to the right, where a compact arrangement of kitchen, dining and lounge opens to a lanai, complete with an outdoor fire and concealed barbecue.
The bedroom wing sits at a lower level, with three bedrooms arranged in sequence along the view side and bathrooms placed to the south. In keeping with Herbst Architects’ approach to coastal living, bathing is treated as a visceral daily ritual rather than a purely functional act. Courtyards outside the bathrooms allow light, air and privacy to coexist, creating spaces that are semi-indoors and semi-outdoors. This idea echoes the broader design of the home, where the boundaries between shelter and landscape are deliberately softened.
Inside a clifftop home perched high above the ocean in New Zealand, the shutter layer becomes one of the architecture’s primary elements. On the main facade, four movable shutters allow the occupants to adapt the interior to the changing conditions of the day, filtering the western light as it reflects off the water and softening the force of coastal winds.
The home’s outlook is intensified through careful horizontal cropping. Strong lines at floor and roof level frame the panorama, allowing the sky, pool edge and distant horizon to work together as part of a single spatial experience. Materials are pared back and chosen for their capacity to weather. Cement plaster, selected for its ability to crack, stain and shift in colour over time, gives the home a grounded, enduring quality, while bandsawn timber adds lightness and texture. Inside a clifftop home perched high above the ocean in New Zealand, these materials suggest the building has long belonged to the site.
Landscape design by Jared Lockhart further embeds the home within its coastal setting. Native bush has been restored where the site had been cleared, while wild grasses create a natural foreground that changes with the seasons. As these grasses brown in late summer, they sit in quiet contrast to the ageing plaster and weathering timber. Inside a clifftop home perched high above the ocean in New Zealand, architecture and landscape work together to create a beach house that feels settled, resilient and attuned to the rhythms of island life.
0:00 – Introduction To A Clifftop Home Perched High Above the Ocean in New Zealand
1:08 – Designing A Beach House Retreat On An Island
2:41 – Walking Through A Home Framed By The Landscape
5:45 – Materials Designed To Weather With Time
6:50 – When Architecture Becomes Part Of The Landscape
For more from The Local Project:
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thelocalproject/
Website – https://thelocalproject.com.au/
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-local-project-publication/
Print Publication – https://thelocalproject.com.au/publication/
Hardcover Book – https://thelocalproject.com.au/book/
The Local Project Marketplace – https://thelocalproject.com.au/marketplace/
For more from The Local Production:
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thelocalproduction_/
Website – https://thelocalproduction.com.au/
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/thelocalproduction/
To subscribe to The Local Project’s tri-annual print publication see here – https://thelocalproject.com.au/subscribe/
Photography by Sam Hartnett.
Architecture and interior design by Herbst Architects.
Build by Biggs Construction.
Landscape design by Jared Lockhart Design.
Filmed by The Local Production.
Edited by HN Media.
Production by The Local Production.
Location: Waiheke Island, Auckland, New Zealand
The Local Project acknowledges Māori as tangata whenua and Treaty of Waitangi partners in Aotearoa New Zealand. We pay our respect to Elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all Indigenous people of these lands.
#NewZealand #TheLocalProject #ClifftopHome
