– Lou Vincent is selling his renovated “Beach Bum” bach on Karikari Peninsula, featuring a cricket-ready lawn.
– Vincent has reinvented himself through property renovations and guest speaking.
– The Vincents aim to move to Wanaka, with the property listed for enquiries over $1.15m.
Former Black Caps player Lou Vincent is selling the “Beach Bum” bach he has transformed in the Far North.
The three-bedroom property at 201B Tokerau Beach Road, on the Karikari Peninsula, comes with a cricket-ready lawn, a retro caravan turned Airbnb, and a second caravan that doubles as his wife Jilly’s hair salon.
Vincent’s sporting history is well known, but it’s his life after his cricketing career came to an abrupt end in 2014 that will be a mystery to many.
Vincent told OneRoof that he found himself starting over with no clear plan after he was banned for match-fixing. “I lost my career, [and] I lost a lot of money dealing with lawyers,” he said. “I found myself, after cricket, starting life again. I had a really old villa in Kaukapakapa and I was sitting there one day going, ‘I’ve got to do something with my life. All I’ve known is cricket’.”
Vincent in action at the Basin Reserve, in Wellington, in 2010. Photo / Ross Setford
The turning point was a paintbrush. “I looked behind me and saw a paintbrush, and I thought, ‘Well, I’ve got to make this place look nice’.”
The paintbrush moment turned into a full renovation, and when that first reno project was completed, Vincent sold the villa and moved to Raglan. Drawn by the surfing vibe, and with more skill and confidence under his belt, Vincent developed The Surf Shack accommodation, which he turned into a popular Airbnb.
After Raglan, Vincent hit the road in a bus with his surfboard and dog.
“Then the bus took me down to Queenstown, and as you do, you eventually meet someone while you’re putting petrol in the tank, and you get chatting with this gorgeous Scottish girl. Next minute we’re hiking mountains.”
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With romance blossoming, Vincent decided to stick around in Southland and bought, renovated and sold a railway cottage in Lumsden.
The couple then headed north in the bus, where Vincent had lived previously, and bought a tired beachfront home, which they have just finished renovating.
The main house, which Vincent described as “the most modern I’ve ever had to do up”, has been transformed into a contemporary coastal retreat.
The home has a surf theme, with just one wall dedicated to Vincent’s cricketing past. Pride of place on the wall is a framed shirt and a wicket from Vincent’s first international test, the highlight of his cricketing career.
Vincent’s cricket memorabilia hangs on the walls. Photo / Supplied
“Everyone knows me from my very first game for New Zealand against Australia when I scored 100. And that was just amazing. We almost won the test match as well,” he said.
“[I was] a little kid walking out to play cricket against the best team in the world at the time. To be out there and do well, I pinch myself sometimes.”
The Vincents hold the Karikari property dear. “We got married on the property, and had a great beach party and wedding,” Vincent said, adding that the couple had their first child there, with another on the way in November.
The couple aimed to create a functional, fun home. “I chipped away at it,” Vincent said. “The biggest part was adding the little accommodation, the beachfront with the retro caravan. That was the best project I’ve done in ages, because it was all leftover materials from jobs.
Vincent and his wife Jill brought the tired bach up to standard and gave it a homely feel. Photo / Supplied
“We’re creating a space where people are having the most awesome little two-day getaways, three-day getaways.”
Unsurprisingly, with Vincent’s history, the property also boasts a lawn for cricket. “[Comedian and TV presenter] Jeremy Wells came up in January or February and did a little article with Seven Sharp,” he said. “I got the bowling machine out with the balls. It was spitting balls, and he just kept batting. I couldn’t get him off the property.”
These days, as well as being “a dad, a maintenance person [and] jack of all trades”, Vincent makes appearances as a guest speaker. “I do a bit of guest speaking and educational work [about] corruption in sport. I’m off to Australia to speak to the Victorian Police Sporting Integrity Unit about helping to educate young sports players to be careful not to be groomed into fixing. That’s what I do on the side as well.”
The Vincents are selling their Karikari home because their ultimate aim is to trade their way up to Wanaka by the time the children start school. The family is not quite there yet. “Every time I look at the house prices in Wanaka, I go, ‘Babe, no, unless you want to live in a caravan somewhere’. But that’s our goal.
“We’re still one or two houses away from getting there, so we might go to Christchurch. We’re really liking the vibe of Christchurch.”
Vincent never minds moving. “With my sporting career, you’d follow the summers. You’d have six months in New Zealand, six months in England, Holland, back to New Zealand, South Africa. So, I’ve lived quite a nomadic lifestyle. I love travelling.”
Arizto listing agent Yvonne Noble said the home, which is looking for enquiries over $1.15 million, was already attracting interest from buyers looking for a lifestyle change. “I’m picking it will be anybody from probably the 40s up,” she said. “It will be somebody who wants to live permanently on the coast, so they’ll either be working from home or they’ll be retirees. Or it will definitely be a holiday home.”
She said the decision to put a price on the property was deliberate. “In this market, the number one irritant for everybody is no price,” she said. “I’ve been in real estate for 25 years. People want to know whether it’s affordable or not.”
Vincent added: “Yvonne Noble has done an amazing job.”
– 201B Tokerau Beach Road, in Karikari Peninsula, Far North, is seeking enquiries over $1.15m