- A 1960s Wanaka lakefront estate is expected to sell for more than its RV of $6.94m.
- The property, purchased by the Nelson family 70 years ago, spans 2841sqm and is in a prime location.
- Agent Craig Miles says interest is from developers and buyers wanting to build dream homes.
A 1960s bach has hit the market in Wānaka – and there’ll be tears when it sells.
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The three-bedroom holiday home, owned by the same family for more than 60 years, sits on nearly 3000sqm of lakefront land on Aubrey Road in the town’s exclusive Bremner Bay.
The property, which is being sold as a deceased estate, has an RV of nearly $7 million, but Aspire listing agent Craig Myles expects it to sell for much more, telling OneRoof it is “one of the best locations in Wānaka”.
“It’s got a lot of features that people are looking for. We’ve had pre-market indications of a number well north of the rateable value,” Myles said.
The Nelson family stayed in tents and prefabricated army huts on the newly purchased land in the 1950s. Photo / Marjorie Cook
Judy Cook, pictured with son David, spent their summers swimming in the lake across the road from the Aubrey Road house. Photo / Marjorie Cook
At this stage, he hadn’t met any buyers who wished to keep the bach. So far, the property has attracted the attention of developers with plans to carve up the site and buyers looking to build their dream home.
“Some people will take the time to live on a property for a while before they work out what they want to do with it – that’s not unusual,” he said.
Wānaka property values have risen by more than 50% since 2020, and earlier this year, the town’s house price record was smashed when a trophy home on Beacon Point Road sold for $14m – $1.5m above RV.
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Marjorie Cook, whose grandparents bought 23 and 25 Aubrey Road after winning a ballot in the late 1950s, told OneRoof that it was a magical spot. “I’ve been coming here ever since I was a baby – me and my brother and sister.”
Her grandparents, Jessie and Horrie Nelson, spent their holidays camping at the section before building the bach that sits there now.
She said caravans and tents could often be found at the back of the property and told OneRoof that her summers were spent swimming in the lake across the road and having fish and chips on the lawn.
The three-bedroom sits on a large 2841sqm section in the sought-after Bremner Bay. Photo / Marjorie Cook
Cook’s parents took ownership of the bach and eventually moved there from Timaru in 2011. Under their ownership, they added a third bedroom and installed double glazing.
Cooke said after her father’s death last year and her mother’s death earlier this year, the family had made the hard decision to sell the property. “It’s a really special place. I think there will be tears.”
- 23 and 25 Aubrey Road, in Wānaka, Queenstown-Lakes, is for sale, tender closing October 31
