SOLD!!

It took us almost a year to renovate but, in the end, only nine days to sell.

Late last month, we reluctantly put our beloved bach (beach house) on the market. Some arse had bought the empty section next to us (that had been vacant for 30 years!) and plonked an ugly house on there. Which effectively stripped us of our privacy, views and morning sun.

It was time to go. So in late August we put the house on the market and it went under offer nine days later (in a flurry of emails and forms to sign in triplicate the night before we flew to Vietnam).

Yesterday, after the requisite 15 working days, the sale went unconditional. Even better? The buyer bought most of our furniture and big ticket items such as the fridge and beds. Which means we don't have to faff around selling online etc. So it was a big fat win for everyone.

Although I will miss the beach and some of our lovely neighbours (not the ones who've ruined our views, you understand), it feels like the right thing to do. I'll also miss the way my shoulders drop several centimetres every time I see the Welcome to Waitarere Beach sign. For 22 months, that bach was our haven, a quiet little bubble where we got to shuck the worries of the week and recharge for the next. I loved that bach so much I even wrote a story about it in North & South Magazine earlier this year (click here to read).

But, as my mother likes to say, nothing lasts forever. And, just quietly, we made a little bit of cash on it, so that frees us up to look for another rental (and frees me up from having to do some of the horrid bum-on-seat comms roles I was doing). Again, a major win.

So another chapter over. But it was a helluva ride while it lasted

Here for your viewing pleasure for the final time are photos of our former bach...