- Actor Burt Reynolds extended his stay at Lake Taupō Lodge while filming Without a Paddle.
- Shirley and Gary Akers have run the lodge for 22 years and are now selling to retire.
- The lodge, ranked in the top 10% on TripAdvisor, offers a boutique, personalised experience.
Shirley Akers will never forget the time Burt Reynolds refused to leave her home.
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The Hollywood legend had booked to stay at Lake Taupō Lodge, which is on the market for sale, for three nights, but liked it so much he asked to stay for the rest of the week.
Reynolds stayed at the lodge overlooking Lake Taupō, in Acacia Bay, when he was in New Zealand filming the Hollywood comedy Without a Paddle in the early 2000s.
Burt Reynolds in the film that made him a superstar, Smokey and the Bandit. Photo / Getty Images
Reynolds stayed at Lake Taupō Lodge while filming the US comedy Without a Paddle. He played a mountain hermit in the movie, and his makeup drove the lodge dogs crazy. Photo / Supplied
Akers said Reynolds would endure an hour in hair and makeup and then appear downstairs looking like a tramp. “It was quite an amazing experience,” she said, adding that her two dogs would bark like crazy every time they saw him dressed in character.
“He was just delightful.”
Reynolds is one of a long list of celebrities, including Michael Palin, Barbra Streisand, Kim Novak, Rachel Hunter and Sir Peter Jackson, who have stayed at the lodge.
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Shirley said: “After they’ve been and gone, you are allowed to mention their names, but when they are there, you never mention who is there.”
The Akers have been running the lodge for 22 years, but they built the property 40 years ago as their family home.
The traditional colonial lake house design is the result of a meeting with architects Denniston Hodgson Turner and the couple’s love of Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic work.
The six guest suites all have views. Photo / Supplied
The lodge has fully licensed dining and lounge facilities. Photo / Supplied
The Akers were running a women’s wear business, Formula Fashion, at the time, and the house was great for entertaining clients. Competition from overseas led them to a change of career.
Shirley had already decided to get into real estate and Gary was looking for something that didn’t involve working for someone else. “He’s an engineer, but he didn’t want to go back to that after having a successful business doing your own thing.”
Friends from Wellington popped in for lunch one day with another couple who ran a successful overseas hotel and resort chain, and the idea of getting into hospitality took shape.
“They started the lodge thing by saying [our home] should be a lodge – it’s just amazing.”
She added: “Huka Lodge tried to block us, but they couldn’t stop us. So we went ahead.”
The five-bedroom home required a few changes, including merging two bedrooms to create a giant suite, but the couple were determined and brought Lake Taupō Lodge to fruition.
The Mapara Road lodge started as a family home before being converted into a boutique lodge. Photo / Supplied
Model Rachel Hunter is another high-profile guest who has stayed at the lodge. Photo / Getty Images
After three years, the lodge was so popular that the Akers doubled the number of guest suites from three to six by building three separate suites on the 6858sqm property. Each suite had its own bathroom, kitchenette and deck with views over the lake.
The couple then created their own one-bedroom home downstairs in the area that had once housed the gym.
Shirley said guests were always blown away when they stepped inside. “They go, ‘OMG this is better than it looked in the photos’.”
Lake Taupō Lodge is ranked among the top 10% of travel businesses worldwide in the TripAdvisor Travellers Choice Awards and has a “Superb” 9.3 rating on Booking.com.
Shirley said the personal touch was the secret of the lodge’s success. She would always pop inside after walking her dog in the morning to greet the guests, and Gary would share his local knowledge to help guests plan their itineraries.
“We don’t stand on airs and graces. We try to be casual but really smart – dress tidy.”
However, the couple, now in their 80s, are selling to retire. “You might have 10 years left of your life, you might have five years – we want to enjoy it and slow down.”
Shirley said the property would suit buyers looking for a proven hospitality business. “It’s a lovely home, it’s got beautiful detailing in the ceilings. We’ve really enjoyed it – it’s been great. Friends coming to stay, no problem.”
Bayleys listing agent Wayne Keene, who is marketing 41 Mapara Road with colleagues Eddie Rizarri and Alison Whittle, said Lake Taupō Lodge was different from the larger branded hotels.
“With just a handful of suites, it delivers an intimate, curated environment where hospitality is tailored to individual preferences. This boutique scale is a key differentiator, enabling the lodge to compete at the very top end of the market by offering privacy, tranquillity and discretion,” he said in a press release.
Keene said there was potential for the lodge to expand its offerings to include weddings, corporate retreats, wellness experiences, or exclusive tours or for a high-net-worth buyer to have it as their own private residence, he said. The property has an RV of $6.635 million.
- 41 Mapara Road, in Acacia Bay, Taupō, is for sale, by negotiation
