Five minutes into this place and the rest of the world goes quiet. Perched above the Tasman surf with rainforest at its back, this three-level, cedar-clad home looks out over Okarito Beach from headland to headland, across the lagoon to an ocean horizon that never repeats itself twice. It is, simply, one of the great outlooks in the country.

This is the escape people talk about and never make. Here it is, built and waiting. Wake to breaking surf, take your coffee on the deck as the mist lifts off the lagoon, and trade the commute for a barefoot walk on the sand.

Consented for five bedrooms, the home is currently run as three plus a studio, the work of a previous owner, a professional photographer who knew exactly what this light was worth. Keep it as an inspiring workspace, or reinstate the full five-bedroom layout. Fully double glazed and warmed by a Fisher wood fire, it stays snug while the storms roll in and put on the evening’s show.

There’s a sound financial story too. The fully self-contained ground floor runs independently of the two levels above, ready to work as boutique guest accommodation in one of the country’s great eco-tourism spots, quietly earning its keep while you live above it.

And one detail changes everything. Okarito has its own airstrip. Wheels up from Auckland after Friday lunch, wheels down on the Coast before sunset.

Homes like this, in a position like this, with an outlook like this, do not come to market. When the rat race finally loses its shine, this is the one you’ll wish you’d already bought.

Okarito is the West Coast at its most distilled: a seaside settlement of around 30 residents, bordered by Westland Tai Poutini National Park and home to New Zealand’s largest unmodified coastal wetland.

The lagoon is a sanctuary for the kōtuku (white heron) and over 76 bird species, while the surrounding forest shelters the rowi, New Zealand’s rarest kiwi. Kayak at dawn, surf the break at your doorstep, or watch the weather roll in from your deck.

Franz Josef is 25 minutes away for cafés and essentials, with daily Air New Zealand connections from Hokitika Airport two hours north, or simply use the local airstrip and fly on your own schedule.

Established kayak hire, kiwi tours and lagoon cruises draw visitors year round, demand that flows directly to the accommodation downstairs.

Whether you seek a full-time sea change, a lock and leave retreat, or a landmark holding with income, Okarito offers what no city can: silence, space, and a front-row seat to the wildest coastline in the country.

For further information on buying through Mackenzies Real Estate visit our Buy page or for general information about buying real estate in New Zealand visit: www.settled.co.nz