A little shelter on the idyllic beach of Whangapoua.

On an idyllic beach located in the Coromandel peninsula, north of New Zealand, a very unique building can be found—created by the Crosson Clarke Carnachan Architects architecture studio.

Built by the shore of a white-sanded beach—among the dunes—this particular shelter needed to be removable to adapt to the coastal erosion the region is constantly subjected to. For this very reason, the cabin stands on two, solid-wood sleighs so that it can be moved around more easily.

This summer residence’s aesthetics blend into the coastal landscape and resemble a surfer’s shelter or any other kind of building well suited to blend into this marvelous setting’s features without ruining the view. The structure, materials and mechanisms used to build it are all industrial-grade so that it can withstand any level of harshness the weather may throw at it, without deteriorating.

The team of architects behind it designed it so that, when not being used, it can be entirely enclosed; it is barely 130 square feet yet is able to host a family of five thanks to its interior design, which is based on a careful study on the best possible use of space. A kitchen, a living-room/dining-room, two bedrooms and a bathroom, and of course, a bucolic and exclusive “yard.” The main bedroom is located in the loft, which confers it amazing views of the poetic New Zealand beach.

In short, the cabin was conceived as a real vacation house by the sea—a place to explore the true “dolce far niente” lifestyle—and meant to be small, simple and functional, in communion with its privileged surroundings; the luxury of a surprising structure that is in complete harmony with the island’s wild, natural landscape, on the beach of Whangapoua.