Family holidays at Tata Beach

Dorothy and Charlie Tucker (Gran and Papa) wanted a holiday place where they, their children and grandchildren could relax, fish and make memories. After much searching in the Marlborough Sounds and Golden Bay, they settled on the newly developed subdivision on the Peninsula at Tata Beach in Golden Bay.

They did their research; had holidays at Pakawau and Pohara and the Marlborough Sounds, but they kept coming back to Tata Beach. They experienced the good fishing the bay had to offer (that was back in the late 1950s) and liked the coarser golden sand at Tata Beach. The beach was also much better for launching the boat in all tides because the water was deeper than at many other beaches in the area.

So in 1959 they bought the piece of land and by October 1960 they had built their holiday house. At that stage there were only three other houses along the beach.

Gran started the tradition of the ‘Visitors’ Book and it has become a must to write in when your stay is at an end. She wanted people to write their memories. And what a wonderful time has been had by many people over the years as they pore over the books and laugh at the way they wrote when they were young and the stories they told.

The old and new visitors’ books are always in the house so you too can peruse the pages of history since that special opening day in October 1960.

Families circumstances change, and the family members who owned the property after the grandparents died were not in the position to do the necessary upkeep.

Anne and Devon decided they wanted to keep the bach in the family, so the memories could continue to be made and to provide a place where family and friends could unwind and let the worries of the world float away in the sea breeze (or gale, depending on the weather of the day!). They also wanted to share it with friends so they too could experience the charm the bay has to offer.

So in February 2004, the bach changed ownership. Anne & Devon set about making the changes that would hopefully see it into the next era and beyond. They wanted to make it a lot warmer – there was no insulation in the walls, ceilings or under floor and all the family knew how cold it could get – to let more natural light into the living area and provide more sleeping capacity and flexibility (those old mattresses had had a good innings). They also wanted a greater family flow in the living area and more indoor/outdoor living, with better space for parking the boat and the car.

The renovations started almost immediately but it really ended up being more of a rebuild as there was only one external wall that didn’t disappear. By Christmas 2004 it was nearly completed and just livable, and by Easter the next year, it was ready to be inhabited again.

We hope you will agree that the rebuilding goals were achieved and we trust that you too will have fun making more memories and let the Tata magic reduce your worries to little grains of sand.