Husband's legacy lives on at a special Nelson home by the sea - Stuff

Others have lawns or front yards – Nicola Maguire has an aquatic entertainment area. Her home, on the edge of Monaco Peninsula in Nelson’s Waimea Inlet, overlooks boats and birds and the occasional stranded tourist.
The house was designed to admit water views, sunsets, summer breezes and the sound of lapping waves. It also provides a ringside seat to both natural and man-made distractions.
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“It’s just always changing,” Nic says. “Most people round here own a little tinny, kayak, speed boat or kiteboard, or there’ll be someone out there doing yoga on a paddleboard. People swimming. An innocent tourist driving their rental car through the sand and getting stuck.
“And the birdlife here is amazing. There’s a grey heron’s nest in the neighbour’s massive kānuka tree and I’ve watched the fledglings learn to fly. Or the kingfishers watching the fish.”
Nic is more than a passive observer, though. When tides and weather allow, she and granddaughter Lucie Lane like to haul kayaks out from under the house and paddle into the thick of it. “It takes just two minutes to get the kayaks in the water.”
The house itself reflects a love of mid-century modernist architecture that Nic shared with husband Pat until his death in August 2019. Pat’s engineering skills and experience as a product designer and lecturer allowed him to plan the house alongside the couple’s architect son Patrick. Then, he eagerly took on both the project management and builder’s assistant roles. Nic had a hand in the design too and also pitched in on the construction site.
“I was the broomie, sweeping up and clearing any offcuts or nails, as well as tea lady and gofer person. In the evening, I was interior decor designer.
“For Pat, building this house was fulfilling a dream he’d always had. It was the culmination of everything he loved, all his ideas coming together. He loved the proportions, loved looking at it from any angle and he was very proud of working on it with Paddy our son.”
Nic traces the home’s aesthetic origins to the couple’s teenage years; they met at age 16 when she was a mini skirt-clad Beach Boys music fan and he was entranced by American cars and design. This progressed to a passion for the work of Californian architects such as Pierre Koenig and Richard Neutra.
But it was a family holiday in a small wooden bach considerably closer to home that sparked a notion the couple carried for decades. “It was built virtually on the sand at Kaiteriteri Beach,” Nic recalls of the house that most influenced them.
“It’s still there, actually. And we thought, that would be an amazing lifestyle, to be able to live so close to the sea.”
With four children – Michael, Patrick, Charlotte and Georgia – aged under 7, they parked the idea and returned to family life and work in Dunedin. But the dream of Nelson sea and sunshine lingered and, in 2013, the Maguires bought a small waterfront bungalow in Monaco. Their plan to demolish and build was hastened by the arrived of Cyclone Ita in 2014, which blew the roof off while Nic was home alone.
“It was absolutely terrifying, with corrugated iron flying all around the neighbourhood and the fire brigade turning up. We decided the time was ripe to build rather than repair.”
That cyclone also netted them the mataī timber they used to line the living room ceiling and reading room floor. For a short time, trees felled by the wild winds had their protective status lifted and could be bought and sold.
Pat’s cancer diagnosis came 10 months after the house was finished in early 2017. However, he was able to live in and relish the house for another 18 months. “When he was diagnosed, he promptly got out his design notebook and said he’d better get cracking as he still had work to do. His mantra was always, just do it.
“Six weeks before he died in August 2019 he was in California with our son Michael at a bike trade expo and they went together to a Hootie & The Blowfish rock concert.”
A love of family has heavily influenced design choices in this Nelson abode. Nic describes the most recent Christmas gathering, where seven adults and five grandchildren came together for several weeks and the house easily accommodated everyone. Meals were eaten in the courtyard, often after days of deckside lounging and reading or swimming or some form of water sports. Sliding sectional doors doubled sleeping space and black-out blinds were added so the youngest baby could sleep, with extra beds in the garage.
“It’s been a bit hard for me carrying on as we really grew up together. But when I look around, especially at Christmas time with all the kids here, Pat certainly left a legacy for the family. Not only in his gentle character and the home to enjoy but also the privilege of actually having all that time together,” says Nic.
Q&A with Nic Maguire
We found building a house: Remarkably stress-free and enjoyable. That’s largely thanks to our brilliant local registered builder Wayne Pool.
Pat’s other design legacy is: The original Freeload rack, designed for mountain bikes. He physically made the prototype in the garage and, in 2012, sold the patented designed product to Swedish company Thule Group. Following his cancer diagnosis, Pat challenged himself to refine and improve the original bike carrier system alongside our sons Michael and Patrick and the resulting Aeroe business is now operated by them – see aeroe.com.
Monaco has: A relaxed vibe during the week but at weekends it becomes a playground of water sports enthusiasts. If you walk around Monaco, people always say hello. It has a holiday feel but an unpretentious one.
I have a weakness for: Architectural and design books.
Architectural influences include: New Zealand architects Sir Miles Warren, Ted McCoy and Group Architects. They all complemented the Los Angeles influence and provided inspiration for the materials and landscaping, a New Zealand coastal context.
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