Aucklanders eye Q'town homes

The new Millbrook Resort houses range from $2 million to $2.7 million.

Aucklanders are expected to buy some of the six new $2 million-$2.7 million holiday homes being marketed by the exclusive Millbrook Resort near Queenstown.

But they're not sucking money out of their own places to do it.

Ben O'Malley, Millbrook's property and development director, said the resort would promote new properties at an invitation-only Auckland event tomorrow.

About 40 per cent of Millbrook's members are Aucklanders. Many are business owners able to afford a holiday home and O'Malley said they were not using equity in their existing properties.

"There's also senior retired empty-nesters and those aged 40 to 60 who are still working. Some Aucklanders are using their places for months at a time, others are more for school holidays or weekends," he said.

"We're taking our latest release of six Mica Ridge home and land packages to the Auckland roadshow. Figures show our buyers continue to be predominantly Kiwi and 70 per cent from Auckland and around the North Island."

The two-level places are selling from $2 million to $2.7 million and about 50 people are expected to attend the Auckland event.

Millbrook is so confident about the Mica project that it has already started building without pre-sales. Some of those will be show homes.

The cheapest of the six new properties is $2 million and for that buyers will get a stand-alone house with a double garage, three bedrooms, three bathrooms and open kitchen/living/dining/entertainment areas with an outdoor dining area as well.

"Increased flights into Queenstown from Auckland have been a big driver. It's just so easy to jump on a plane and be down here in an hour and 50 minutes. Queenstown Airport is New Zealand's fastest growing and they've just started night flights, so that makes it easier to come in and out," O'Malley said.

In the past 10 years, $175 million of property sales have been made and before the Mica project, eight new homes were built in The Pioneers scheme.

Those single-level homes sold for $1.5 million to $1.8 million.

One sold off the plans to an existing Millbrook member. The other seven sold in just six weeks after the first show home was opened, netting about $12 million in sales.

Millbrook Resort

• Alpine golfing resort

• Founded in 1993

• About 260 residences

• 20 minutes from Queenstown