Sunset Shores is a modern, pet-friendly beachfront house at Paraparaumu Beach on the Kāpiti Coast, north of Wellington. It sleeps eight in three ground-floor bedrooms plus a separate sleepout, with two bathrooms. Walk out the back gate, over the dunes, and you're on the sand. Upstairs, the lounge and deck look straight out to Kāpiti Island, where the sun goes down most nights. Fenced lawn, BBQ, fish filleting table, and parking for the boat.

The layout

All three bedrooms, both bathrooms, and the separate toilet are on the ground floor, so sandy kids and sun-tired adults don't have far to go at the end of the day. Bedroom one, the main bedroom, has a queen bed, a built-in wardrobe, reading lights either side, its own heat pump, and its own ensuite with a shower and toilet. Bedroom two has a second queen, a calm, light room made for sleeping in. Bedroom three has a king single and a single: the kids' room, sorted. Everyone else shares the main bathroom, with a shower and basin, and a separate toilet next to it with its own basin, so someone can shower while someone else uses the loo. With the ensuite as well, the post-beach shower queue moves fast. There's no bath.

Across the courtyard, the sleepout is its own little world: a double bed, a small fridge, a desk, open shelving, a wall heater to keep it warm, and a sliding glass door. Teenagers love it, couples love it, and so does anyone after a bit of quiet. It doesn't have its own bathroom, so it's a short walk across to the house at night, which is worth knowing if your group would rather all sleep under one roof.

Upstairs is where everyone ends up: the lounge, dining, and kitchen, with the deck and the view. The internal stairs are steep, and there's a child safety gate at the top, so the littlest ones can potter while you actually sit down. Linen and towels are included, the beds are made up before you arrive, and guests keep mentioning how comfortable they are. There's off-street parking for several cars, with room for the boat and trailer.

Living areas

Leave the big slider open and let the sea breeze through. The lounge sits at the ocean end of the upstairs living area and opens straight onto the top deck, with Kāpiti Island filling the doorway. After a full day at the beach or out exploring the coast, there's somewhere for everyone to sink into: a three-seater leather sofa, four recliners, and two armchairs around a big timber coffee table. The large smart TV has Freeview and Chromecast, so the rugby, a movie, or a game streamed from home is sorted. Heat pumps and air conditioning keep it comfortable all year, with electric heaters as backup, whether it's a still February evening or a southerly in July.

Kitchen

Back from the beach and everyone's starving. The kitchen is new, bright, and built for a crowd: a long stone-look island with a double sink and bar stools, a wall oven, built-in microwave, cooktop, dishwasher, and a big French-door fridge-freezer with room for the chilly bin overflow. It's properly stocked too, with plenty of pots and pans, utensils, and serving dishes, so cooking for eight is easy. There's a kettle, toaster, and a coffee plunger, so bring your favourite grounds. The long timber dining table seats all eight, by windows with a glimpse of the sea, ready for big breakfasts, fish and chips on the paper, and card games that run late. A separate laundry has a Fisher & Paykel front-loader and a tub for sandy towels and wet togs. There's no dryer, but the clothesline in the sunny side yard has them dry by lunch.

Outdoor space

This is where the house earns its name. The top deck, straight off the lounge, has glass balustrades, an outdoor dining table, and an uninterrupted view over the dunes to Kāpiti Island. It's where most evenings end up: feet up, a cold drink, and the island turning from blue to gold as the sun drops. Below it, the lower deck steps down onto a fully fenced lawn, so the kids can run laps and the dog can roll in the grass while the adults sit on the steps with a cuppa. An outdoor staircase links the two decks. The house gets sun all day. There's a BBQ for dinner outside and a fish filleting table for the day's catch. From the deck you can see the sandy track through the dunes: out the back gate, a private path puts you on the beach in a few meters. No road to cross, nothing between you and the water.

Wi-Fi and welcome

Wi-Fi is included. Sunset Shores is co-hosted by the BookaHome team, who have been running holiday homes around New Zealand for 14 years, with a local team on the Kāpiti Coast looking after the house itself. We reply quickly, and with people nearby, anything that needs sorting during your stay gets sorted fast.

Location

Paraparaumu Beach is the relaxed seaside end of Paraparaumu, on the Kāpiti Coast north of Wellington, with Kāpiti Island sitting just offshore. It's a long, west-facing beach made for evening walks, with the village, the estuary, and the Kāpiti Island boats all close by.

On foot:

• The beach: out the back gate and over the dunes

• Paraparaumu Beach cafés, shops, and restaurants: close by around a 4-minute drive

• The Waikanae estuary and river walking trails: a short stroll around 8 minutes

• Kāpiti Island boat departures (beach launch): 33 minutes

By car:

• Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club: 4 minutes

• Coastlands shopping centre and supermarkets: 10 minutes

• Kāpiti Coast Airport: 6 minutes

• Paraparaumu train station (Wellington commuter line): 10 minutes

• Wellington CBD, via Transmission Gully: 45 minutes

• Kena Kena Park: 3 Minutes

• Playground and BMX Track: 3 minutes

The beach through the back gate, Kāpiti Island on the horizon, and Wellington close enough for a Friday-night arrival: it's why the Kāpiti Coast is where Wellington goes for the weekend.

Good to know

Check-in is from 3pm and check-out is by 10am. Early check-in or a later check-out is sometimes possible if the schedule allows, so message to ask. Self check-in is by lockbox, with the code sent before you arrive, so you can roll in whenever suits after 3pm. Sunset Shores is pet-friendly and dog-friendly: up to two pets are welcome, with a pet fee of NZ$65 per stay, and the fully fenced yard makes it easy. This is a smoke-free home, and quiet hours apply from 10pm. For anything that comes up during your stay, message us or call us, and we respond quickly.

Who it suits

Sunset Shores is a family-friendly beach house first, and it works well for two families sharing: three ground-floor bedrooms plus a sleepout so the teenagers get their own space, a fenced lawn, a stair gate for toddlers, a dining table for eight, and the beach over the dunes. Bring the dog. It suits fishing and boating groups too, with parking for the boat and trailer, a fish filleting table, and a BBQ for cooking what you bring back. Groups of friends, girls' weekends, adult family catch-ups, and couples travelling together will like the separate sleepout, the ensuite off the main bedroom, and a kitchen made for cooking together. And for anyone after a weekend away from Wellington, you can be on the deck with a drink by sunset. Beach, boat, BBQ, and Kāpiti Island at the end of the day.

GUEST ACCESS

Guests have full and exclusive use of the whole house, the separate sleepout, both decks, the fully fenced yard, the BBQ and fish filleting table, and the driveway, with parking for several cars and a boat. The back gate opens onto the dunes and the beach. Self check-in is by lockbox. All three bedrooms, both bathrooms, and the separate toilet are on the ground floor. The lounge, dining, and kitchen are upstairs, reached by steep internal stairs with a child safety gate. There's no toilet upstairs. The sleepout has no bathroom, so guests sleeping there use the bathrooms in the house.

THE SPACE

A modern, pet-friendly beachfront house at Paraparaumu Beach on the Kāpiti Coast, sleeping eight. Three ground-floor bedrooms (two queens, and a king single plus a single) with an ensuite (shower and toilet) off the main bedroom, a shared main bathroom (shower and basin), and a separate toilet, all on the ground floor, and a separate sleepout with a double bed and wall heater. Upstairs, an open-plan lounge, dining, and kitchen with seating for everyone, a dining table for eight, a new fully equipped kitchen, and a slider onto a glass-balustraded deck looking straight out to Kāpiti Island. A lower deck steps down to a fully fenced lawn, with a BBQ and fish filleting table. Heat pumps, Wi-Fi, Freeview, and Chromecast. Linen and towels included. Self check-in by lockbox. Off-street parking for several cars plus a boat, and private beach access through the back gate.

OTHER THINGS TO NOTE

All three bedrooms, both bathrooms, and the separate toilet are on the ground floor. The lounge, dining, and kitchen are upstairs, and the internal stairs are steep, with a child safety gate at the top. There's no toilet upstairs, so a trip to the loo during the evening means heading downstairs. Guests who'd rather avoid stairs can sleep and shower downstairs, but the kitchen and living areas are only reachable by stairs.

The main bedroom has an ensuite with a shower and toilet. Everyone else shares the main bathroom, which has a shower and basin, and the separate toilet next to it. Both bathrooms have a shower only. There's no bath.

The sleepout is a separate building with no bathroom. It's a short walk across the courtyard to the house.

Up to two pets are welcome, with a pet fee of NZ$65 per stay.

With three bedrooms plus a sleepout, a full kitchen, and a separate laundry, it works for a winter by the sea, a project on the Kāpiti Coast, or time between homes as well as a weekend away. Just note there's no dryer, so washing goes on the line.

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Paraparaumu Beach is the seaside end of Paraparaumu, about 50 minutes north of Wellington on the Kāpiti Coast. The long, west-facing beach looks straight out to Kāpiti Island, a predator-free nature reserve that you can visit by boat from the beach, and the sunsets over it are the reason plenty of people come back. The village has cafés, restaurants, and a few shops, with the estuary and river walking trails close by for a morning walk. Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club, one of the country's best-known links courses, is nearby, and Coastlands shopping centre and the train into Wellington are a short drive inland.

Distance to walking trails:

Waikanae River (South Bank): 4.6km/1 hour 30 mins one way (8-minute drive to the start of the trail)

Waikanae Estuary Scientific Reserve: 3-minute walk to the reserve

Parata Track South Entrance: 13-minute drive to the track entrance

Te Au Track: 14-minute drive to the track

WHAT GUESTS LOVE

• Straight onto the beach. "Loved the fact that you open the back gate and walk over the dunes and are on the beach." Helen

• The view to Kāpiti Island. "Wonderful location with a stunning view of the beach and Kāpiti Island."

• The sunsets. "Lovely spot right on the beach front. Beautiful views and sunset."

• Sun and a clean house. "Very clean, all day sun, beautiful views and right on the beach. Our only regret is we didn't stay longer."

• A kitchen built for a group. "Loved the well stocked pots and pans, utensils, serving dishes etc. Made for cooking and eating for 8 a real breeze."

• Room for two families. "Great space to have a weekend away with another family. Great for a larger group, beautiful views and close proximity to the beach. Super comfortable beds."

• Girls' weekends. "We had 5 of us girls on a girls weekend and it was PERFECT!! Great kitchen, fridge space and comfy, comfy beds."

• Safe for little ones. "Very thoughtful provision of a childproof gate which made things much less stressful with our one year old grandson."

• Exactly as pictured. "The house exactly what you see in the pics. It looks like newly build or renovated. Beach is few meters away with private access."

• Walks and town close by. "Great location on the beach with amazing views and a short stroll to the estuary. It was also close to the main town for meals and shopping."

COME AND STAY

Whether it's a family week at the beach, a fishing trip with the boat in tow, or a couple of days out of Wellington, this is a modern beachfront base with room for eight and Kāpiti Island on the doorstep. Send through your dates or any questions and we'll get you sorted, and if the timing isn't right just yet, save it for your next trip up the coast.

PROPERTIES WE'D STAY IN OURSELVES

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