This assured house, all black against ocean blue, sits confidently on its site, protected from coastal winds. The holiday house is at once structured and relaxed, a blend of qualities apparent in the generous verandah designed by an Architect who understands the lifestyle of New Zealanders at the beach. Inside, there is a sense of envelopment in layers of space and, in planning moves such as the pulling of the bedroom wing forward of the living areas, a suggestion of surprise invoked to good and not gratuitous effect.