- Ōrere Point Holiday Park near Auckland is for sale at $4.5 million, targeting families wanting to run a campground.
- Overseas buyers have acquired major holiday parks, but smaller parks remain accessible to local buyers.
- The holiday park market has shifted, with corporates owning 10% and increased demand for affordable parks.
A Top 10 Holiday Park an hour from Auckland has hit the market for sale for just over $4.5 million.
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Experts believe the "affordable" price tag puts Ōrere Point Top 10 Holiday Park within reach of local buyers, telling OneRoof it could buck the recent trend of Kiwi campgrounds being sold to overseas buyers.
Tourism Properties principal officer Adrian Chisholm said that campgrounds in holiday spots with higher foot traffic were attracting the attention of international operators.
However, he noted there were some parks priced between $2m and $4m, which he believed were still within reach of Kiwi buyers.
Chisholm, who is the listing agent for Ōrere Point Top 10 Holiday Park, at 2 Ōrere Point Road, in Papakura, said the property would suit families looking to run their own business.
The 5.29ha property is an hour from Auckland and has 15 cabins and 125 campsites. Photo / Supplied
There are two swimming holes within the campground. Photo / Supplied
“It may be that it’s a couple of generations in a family that live on site and own and operate the business.”
The 5.29ha park includes 15 cabins, 125 campsites, a three-bedroom manager's residence, three communal kitchens and ablutions blocks, and three playgrounds.
A Korean businessman paid $2.5m for the property in 2018 but has returned home and no longer needs it. The manager currently running the campground also wishes to retire.
Chisolm said the Ōrere Point Top 10 Holiday Park was more reminiscent of the campgrounds of the “good old days” rather than the larger ones that now had all the bells and whistles.
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“The fact that it has got the river and has two big swimming holes means it is a more traditional camping ground rather than a slick commercial operation, which these holiday parks are now becoming.”
The New Zealand holiday park market has changed dramatically in the last few years, with Tasman Holiday Park (90% UAE owned) and the Australian-owned Hampshire Holiday Parks now having a combined 10% share in the market.
This year, OneRoof reported that Hampshire Holiday Parks bought Taupō Holiday Resort for $50m and Hot Water Beach Top 10 Holiday Park for more than $16m.
“It’s fair to say the holiday park industry is on steroids currently. You’ve got a couple of big corporates in the $10m-plus range, then you’ve got some in the $5m to $10m range, and then you’ve got the ma and pas up to $5m.”
Lake Taupo Holiday Resort sold earlier this year for $50m. Photo / Supplied
The same Australian firm paid over $16m for Hot Water Beach Holiday Park last month. Photo / Facebook
Elsewhere around the country, Waingaro Hot Springs, which includes hot pools, slides and a holiday park, is for sale, and a buyer is being sought for the site of Kaitāia Nocturnal Park, which closed in 2011 but was home to ostriches and other birdlife.
Chisholm said demand for tourism properties in general had picked up. He had been involved in several sales of holiday parks under $5m this year, noting that one of the buyers was purchasing parks that were in the lower price range and didn’t need any work.
More affordable holiday parks that have recently sold include Paihia Top 10 Holiday Park for $2.375m, Ranfurly Holiday Park for $750,000, Kauri Coast Top 10 Holiday Park for $2.3m, and Matakohe Holiday Park for $1.45m, according to property records.
The properties were sold to a mix of investors and owner-operators, and in most cases, the price of the business is in addition to the property price.
