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Growing tourism infrastructure spurs sale of lakeside lodge
Growing tourism infrastructure spurs the sale of luxury lakeside lodge
The only four-star Qualmark rated lodge on Northland’s west coast has been placed on the market for sale – ahead of a sizeable growth in tourist numbers visiting the region.
Wai Hou Oma Lodge some 25 minutes' north of Dargaville on State Highway 12 is a boutique luxury accommodation provider with four stand-alone units and an additional studio room attached to the owner/operator’s residence.
The lodge – established 10 years ago and expanded to in 2009 – sits on 2.7 hectares of land immediately adjacent to the scenic attraction of the Kai Iwi Lakes. Three of the individual guest suites overlook a private lake. The suites are configured to sleep between two and six guests.
Rack rates range from $170 - $340 for two people, depending on room configurations and seasonality. The business has turned over $120,000 in its best performing year.
Guest amenities at the lodge include a helicopter landing pad in the middle of the lake, 13-seat conference room, gymnasium, spa complex overlooking the lake, and an eight-seat movie theatre. All units have full kitchens with ovens, microwave, fridge and dishwasher, as well as outdoor BBQ areas.
Wai Hou Oma Lodge is being marketed for sale by Bayleys Dargaville through expressions of interest. Bayleys Dargaville salesperson Jude O’Connor said the lodge was strategically located as one of only two commercial accommodation providers on the coastal stretch between Dargaville and the Hokianga Harbour.
Within that stretch of highway were the dual scenic attractions of the coastal freshwater Kai Iwi Lakes, and the Waipoua Forest with the famous Tane Mahuta kauri. The lesser-known Trounson Kauri Park is also within a short driving distance of the venue. Wai Hou Oma lodge had a 41.3 percent occupancy rate in the 2012/2013 financial year - selling out 724 room nights.
Ms O’Connor said the lodge had recently begun marketing its potential as a boutique venue catering for weddings of between 10 – 25 people in the bridal party, with guests booking all accommodation for three nights. The lodge has already catered for four weddings.
The sale of Wai Hou Oma Lodge comes just weeks after the re-elected National Government committed to a range of regional tourism growth initiatives for Northland’s economy.
The initiatives were spearheaded by the commencement of construction of the Puhoi to Wellsford Road of National Significance in 2016/17, and continuing to advance plans for the creation New Zealand's most northern national park in the Waipoua Forest in conjunction with supporting wider initiatives to boost Northland’s tourism industry.
Ms O’Connor said Wai Hou Oma Lodge was perfectly positioned to benefit in particular from the looming Waipoua Forest national park conversion just 30 minutes drive away, while the Puhoi express route would enable Aucklanders to reach Mid and Far North regions considerably quicker – consequently making weekend breaks more attractive.
“Business forecasts from the lodge have calculated that the Government’s two new tourism initiatives, combined, will add between seven and 11 percent to reservation numbers within two years,” she said.
“Lodge owners Ruby and Noel Martin have been quite methodical in the development of Wai Hou Oma, building additional rooms as business grew. However, a change in personal circumstances means they now need to relocate, and as a result they have reluctantly placed the land, buildings and business up for sale.
“Any new owner could also look at purchasing the venue through a partnership structure and converting it to private use as a holiday home.”
Latest figures from the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand show that almost one in ten jobs (10.6 percent) held by Far North residents are in the tourism sector.
The association’s August industry review spotlights that $587 million a year is spent by international and domestic visitors in Northland – equating to 11.5 percent of the region’s gross domestic product. Northland’s GDP output growth from tourism is now identical to the national figure, after falling behind over the 2008 – 2010 period.
Tourism Industry Association chief executive Chris Roberts said: “This highlights that tourism is a significant and valuable part of the region’s economy and there is plenty of potential to grow tourism even more.”
Ms O’Connor said Wai Hou Oma’s owners had been highly pro-active in supporting localised tourism ventures on Northland’s west coast – promoting venues such as the nearby Maunganui Bluff overlooking the Tasman, and sporting and leisure related activities on the adjacent Kai Iwi Lakes.
ENDS
Bayleys Real Estate
New Zealand
Bayleys is New Zealand's largest full-service real estate company. We offer expertise in the marketing and sale of a wide range of property, including residential real estate, farms and lifestyle blocks, and commercial and industrial property. This includes tourism and business sales such as hotels and motels. We also cover the real estate markets in Fiji and other Pacific Islands.
Bayleys also provides a complete property and facilities service including property management and valuations teams focused on achieving both Owner and Tenant satisfaction.
No other real estate company can match our breadth of coverage across all market sectors throughout New Zealand.
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