- A Lake Hāwea bach, bought for $25,000 in 1980, sold for $2.7m at auction last week.
- Nine buyers competed with 33 bids, starting at $1.4m, exceeding the RV by over $1m.
- The buyers from Dunedin plan to use it as a holiday home; the property drew significant interest.
A lakefront retreat bought two generations ago for $25,000 fetched almost $3 million at a heated auction last week.
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The two-bedroom bach at John Creek on Lake Hāwea, in Otago, was the centre of attention as nine buyers slugged it out over 33 bids in six minutes.
The Ray White auction kicked off with a bid of $1.4m, and ended with the hammer coming down at $2.7m, more than $1m above RV.
Vendor Anita Tomkins, whose grandfather Alan purchased the property in 1980, said she was at a loss for words when OneRoof spoke to her four days after the auction. “I’m still trying to process it. [The sale price] far exceeded everybody’s expectations,” she said.
The two-bedroom bach replaced an older crib in 1986 and boasts clear views of the lake. Photo / Supplied
The vendor says she will miss her time at John Creek, including childhood holidays there with her sister. Photo / Supplied
Ray White listing agent Brett Jenkins was similarly stunned by the result. "Where you’ve got two or three people that are really keen for the property and the competitive juices [are] flowing, that’s what can happen. It was a unique and pretty special property in a nice wee slice of paradise.”
Jenkins said nine bidders registered for the auction, all Kiwis. Four were in the room, and five were on the phone, with one ringing in from Sydney. “There were two or three bidders who fell away pretty quickly. Everybody has a limit.” The buyers were from Dunedin, he said: “It’s going to be their holiday home.”
Jenkins said some of the people who expressed interest in the property considered replacing the 1980s bach with something new. Others liked the mid-century vibe and looked at modernising the existing structure.
He said his clients - Anita, her mother and her sister - had watched the drama unfold from a side room. “They were over the moon. They really didn’t see that sort of figure coming.”
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OneRoof profiled the bach before it went to auction and talked to Anita about its history.
She told OneRoof that three generations of the Tomkins family had enjoyed holidays at the bolthole.
When her grandfather bought the property in 1980, the 1144sqm section was home to a vintage, green crib, which he soon replaced with the bach that’s there now. The neighbouring cribs were pretty much identical, except painted different colours. One remains in the suburb, and, says Anita, is rented to holidaymakers.
Anita is the only family member who has ever lived in the crib full-time. “My grandfather lived in St Clair, in Dunedin. He was in the tannery business and part-owner of Green Island and Mosgiel [tanneries].”
A playful notice shows just how close the bach is to the water. Photo / Supplied
She remembers holidays in the tiny crib, and then in her granddad’s brand new build. “As kids, my sister and I would go up and stay with granddad. He’d send you out to forage for driftwood and [pine] cones for the fire. We were always out on the lake and the bike tracks. It’s such a great area to explore for kids.”
After Tomkins died, the bach passed to his son Ross, and then to Anita and her sister, whom Anita bought out. “That’s how I came to own it,” she says.
Before the days of Book‑a‑Bach and other rental platforms, the cribs at John Creek were all family-owned and used by their owners. “My family have had every Christmas there, and my nephews have grown up there. It’s been a family hub.”
Anita said she had lived at Lake Hāwea full-time for around 15 years, working as manager of a nearby resort. She said she was selling up to move back home to Dunedin, but knew she'd miss the bach and the neighbourhood. “On winter nights, I would sit out on the deck and just look at the night sky, which is amazing. The stars, and you can see the Milky Way.”
A luxury Lake Hāwea home on Skinner Crescent, designed by renowned architect Barry Condon, sold in March for $3.25m. Photo / Supplied
A large family home on over 8000sqm at 70 Nichol Street, in Lake Hāwea, is for sale for $3.795m. Photo / Supplied
Property prices in John Creek and nearby Lake Hāwea have exploded in recent years, but are still considered reasonable by Queenstown-Lakes standards.
That’s partly because the spot has largely flown under the radar. “I’ve been sneaking to Lake Hāwea since Christmas 1987,” Jenkins told OneRoof earlier this month. “My wife’s from Hāwea, and we live here now.
“In 87, there was one shop, one pub, one garage. There is still one shop, one pub, one garage, although about two years ago we got a wee supermarket.”
The population is increasing, though, as more sections are sold and new homes are built. “There’s talk of there still being well over another 2000 sections yet to be developed out the back of Hāwea.”
There is land set aside for more commercial development, and a gym is on its way, but for most services, residents still need to drive to Wānaka or Albert Town.
Prices aren’t as extreme as they are in Wānaka, though, where lakefront properties can fetch up to $10m.
Lake Hāwea’s average property value is just over $1.3m, according to the latest OneRoof house price figures. Still, homes in the top price bracket can sell for over $3m, with a four-bedroom luxury pad on Skinner Crescent snapped up for $3.25m in March and a lifestyle block at 70 Nichol Street looking for $3.795m.
- Click here to find more properties for sale in Lake Hāwea
