Bathrooms deliver soap-dropping views, there's a kitchen fit for Nigella - an excellent chef will cook on request - while the enormous open-plan sitting room is perfect for large groups. That's handy because the deceptively large Top House easily accommodates 12 people, with its two self-contained floors ideal for families.Ten kilometres from the town of Taupo, it sits among bush including mamaku ferns and kamahi trees, at The Point, an exclusive private estate. There are floodlit tennis courts, quiet beaches, hiking trails and an epic fishing spot. Jack, who's fished there for 40 years, dropped in with a plump rainbow trout he'd landed before breakfast. It makes a comfortable base for horse trekking, rafting, sailing or golf.

In fact the property has the rare distinction of being both beach house and ski lodge. Ruapehu - one of three volcanoes visible across the lake - is a magnet for local skiers. 'You can watch the mountain and pick the perfect day for the piste,' says Jack. 'If conditions aren't right, simple - go fishing instead

When I arrived at the Top House on a mid-summer's afternoon the sky was fit for a Cumbrian February - low cloud, evil rain and virtually zero visibility. But around 8pm the Taupo gods flicked a switch and the weather lifted, delivering a sunset straight out of a biblical epic.

Through panoramic windows I was looking down on a massive inland sea - this particular beach house is a couple of hour's drive from North Island's surf-lashed coast - backed by the peaks of the Central Plateau. A luxurious retreat, it sits on steep hillside above the flooded crater of a volcano, whose last eruption, more than 1,800 years ago, made Mount St Helens appear a seismic pygmy.

The Top House's award-winning architecture has echoes of Palm Springs modernism - clean lines, angular sloping roof, glass on all sides - but it's brilliantly adapted to Taupo's landscape and climate.The morning sun floods in from behind in the north,' explains owner Jack Gower. 'And because it's long and narrow, every room has a striking view of the lake.'

It's a compelling spectacle and the interior's understated elegance doesn't try to compete. Surely a contender for Architectural Digest, it has acres of blond kihikatea and cedar timber, bedspreads and sofas in muted tones of olive and slate grey and warm wooden floors. Apart from original watercolours of birds and landscapes, painted by Jack's father, a well-known local artist, there is little decoration on the cream walls

The House | Indoor Living | Outdoor Living | Bedrooms | Amenities | Rates& Contact Details | History & Location | Bookings | Sites of Interest |