Bubble Bach available for next family – warning: your guests may never leave

Before multimillion dollar homes were dotted all over Waiheke Island, this lush tropical Hauraki Gulf island was known more for its quirky beach houses where any style of architecture went, with little judgement from the neighbours.

This was an island that attracted artists and makers, individual thinkers.

One of these character homes has just come to the market and it’s a bargain for an astute buyer, with realistic vendors who are open about the work that needs to be done to the 40-year-old home.

Take an online tour of this dome property at 498 Sea View Road, Onetangi and it’s clear this is no ordinary bach.

Physically visit the house and it inspires strong responses from buyers. As Waiheke Homes real estate agent Tobias Roebuck-Ward puts it: “Every single buyer so far has either walked in and straight back out or wanted to move in straight away and start a tequila brand from the courtyard.”

Potential buyers so far have been generally fun creative types, hospitality people or Airbnb hosts, he says.

“They are families who think life’s too short for boring houses – they’re the kind of buyers who see the curves, hear the sea and instantly start planning long lunches in between skinny dipping,” he says. And it’s a barefoot stroll to Onetangi, one of the country’s finest beaches.

“My wife and I had just come back from the most amazing trip through Greece, so when we started looking for a holiday home this was firmly on the “must see” list,” says Paul.

“We viewed a bunch of other places first and they all felt very sensible, very beige.

Then we walked into the dome house and it had this completely chaotic, romantic personality. It felt like a house that had stories already happening inside it.”

The house is known as Santorini on Sea View, though the Alexander kids called it Bubble Bach.

“You could hear the sea from the garden, and we loved that the kids could wander safely down to the beach and back.

When they first bought in 2015 the family did some work putting the home back together into one instead of two rentals – the home has two bedrooms and two bathrooms over 136 sqm but like all good beach homes it stretches further in reality.

“The house easily sleeps 10 and then with tents on the lawn for the kids, we’ve often had three or four families here,” says Paul.

“The projector screen onto the wall of the lounge turns it into a home cinema and the acoustics are unbelievable,” he says

Once the gate shuts, it feels like your own little Mediterranean compound hidden away from the world, say the couple.

“The layout means everyone can do their own thing without being on top of each other and the curves and weird little spaces give this place this relaxed, slightly off-duty vibe all the time,” they say.

The Alexanders put in a new kitchen but beyond that never felt the need to “overly improve,” the house. They didn’t want to change the home’s personality and the “slightly unhinged charm,” they say.

In case interested buyers are wondering, the vibrant furnishings will be sold with the home.