- Sir David Beattie’s Lake Rotoiti bach, owned for 38 years, is up for sale.
- The bach served as a family holiday home, offering activities like swimming and boating.
- The family decided to sell, hoping another will create their own memories there.
Sir David Beattie’s bach on Lake Rotoiti has hit the market for sale.
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New Zealand’s former Governor-General and his wife, Lady Beattie, bought the property 38 years ago after a long search for a holiday home at their favourite spot, Hauparu Bay.
The late couple’s youngest son, Simon, told OneRoof: “They always loved Hauparu Bay and had holidayed there with friends for many years. My father always called it the best bay on the lake.”
The four-bedroom holiday home was bought by the Beattie family in the late 1980s after Sir David’s time as Governor-General. Photo / Supplied
Sir David, far left, with Prince Charles and Princess Diana during the royal tour of New Zealand in 1983. Photo / Getty Images
While visiting friends in the area, Sir David spotted a bach whose owner was open to selling, especially to a veteran, which Sir David was.
The four-bedroom bach, which sits on a 3035sqm section with riparian rights and its own private jetty, offered the Beattie family a chance to rekindle old memories.
They had owned a holiday home in Mourea in the 1950s when Sir David was working in Auckland as a lawyer. It was sold when they moved to Wellington so he could take up a position as a High Court judge, but they continued to holiday there with friends.
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Sir David and Lady Beattie bought their Hauparu Bay bach after his five-year stint as Governor-General, and the constitutional drama that pitted him against outgoing prime minister Robert Muldoon in 1984.
Sir David was working as a professional director at the time and bought the property for the entire family, for which they were grateful. “The family has loved it. It’s become the mutual family home,” Simon told OneRoof.
They continued to enjoy holidays there, even after Sir David’s death in 2001 and Lady Beattie’s passing in 2018. A roster system was in place so the couple’s seven children, 20 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren could all spend time there.
The bach sits on over 3000sqm of lakefront land. It comes with its own private jetty. Photo / Supplied
“It’s a bach, but it functions well. It’s on a decent-sized section. It’s a great spot,” Simon said. “It suits any type of holiday. You can be as active or passive as you like. It’s amazing for swimming, boating, fishing, skiing, sailing and kayaking.”
The adults had enjoyed stargazing while their children spent hours playing spotlight with friends in the bay. Golf courses and walking and cycling tracks were also close by.
Simon said the family was scattered across New Zealand and around the world, and the bach served as a meeting point. “It becomes part of the adventure of getting there. It was very much a destination holiday home, and we’ve made fantastic memories there.”
However, the family had made the difficult decision to sell. “We’re a big family, and it’s the right time for us to pass on the guardianship of this remarkable property. We want another family to love and care for the place and create their own special memories there.”
New Zealand Sotheby's International Realty listing agent Shona Duncan said Hauparu Bay was one of Lake Rotoiti’s most coveted real estate spots.
She said properties of this scale and pedigree rarely came to market, and she expected the likely buyers to be out-of-towners or expats.
- 919D State Highway 30, Tikitere, Rotorua, is for sale, deadline closing December 11
