Karekare Surf Life Saving Club is the ultimate Third Place for its community.

Formed in 1935, Karekare Surf Life Saving Club has a proud history of patrolling, training and competition.

Realising the need to update the old and tired SLS facility, the club embarked on a project to completely replace the building.

An area immortalised in song by Crowded House on their Together Alone album in 1993, the location also famously used in the Academy Award-winning film The Piano.

Karekare Beach is also recognised as one of the worlds most beautiful beaches. A stunning West Coast gem and a taonga of the Auckland Region.

It is also one of New Zealand’s most dangerous with fierce rips, holes and surges.

106 Architects became involved in the new SLS Club in 2007, collaborating with surf club members and project managers MPM Projects, based on an initial concept by Hillery Priest Architecture dating back to 2002.

The Featured Project in the ArchiPro February 2022 Commercial Edit, when it comes to community projects, it’s not uncommon for a project to span 10 to 15 years from concept to completion. Especially when there are complex layers of funding and decision-making.

But if you add in a tidal accessway and build delays due to Covid-19, you might be looking at a whopping 20 years, which is how long the Trusts Karekare Surf Life Saving Club has been in the making.

In 2022 the dream has been realised. A new building using earthy tones to blend into the impressive landscape. The colour choices are reflective of both the basalt and the surrounding vegetation.