A boutique luxury Taupo lodge is for sale in popular Acacia Bay offering its new owners a number of potential options for running the business and using the property in a variety of ways.
"Tauhara Sunrise Lodge at 38 Mapara Rd was built in 2001 after its owners Rob and Becky McEwan returned to New Zealand from Texas where Becky hails from," says Ross Larsen of Tourism Property Brokers Ltd, who is marketing it as a freehold property and going concern business for a listed price of $1,950,000.
"The buildings and grounds are purpose built for hosting guests," Larsen says. "It is an ideal set-up as a home and income operation currently run as a B&B operation. It offers a great investment in a prime location with breath-taking views that cannot be built out on."
Larsen says the lodge, with three guest suites, is strategically for the tourism market just five kilometres from downtown Taupo and about one kilometres from Acacia Bay beach.
"It is eight kilometres from Huka Falls, 10 kms from Wairakei Golf Course, 18 kms from the Kinloch International Golf Course, 80 kms from Rotorua and 100 kms - or just over an hour's drive to Whakapapa ski fields and Tongariro National Park."
Larsen says the current owners have enjoyed hosting interesting combination of guests from all over the world. "The traditional nightly cocktail and canapes' sessions have given them a wonderful opportunity to build many global friendships," he says.
View of Lake Taupo as seen from the hot tub in Tauhara Sunrise Lodge.
The business is busy from October through to April with block-out days allowing for breaks as necessary.
The Help Exchange programme, where young helpers from all over the world stay at the lodge for a period of time and work four to five hours per day in return for accommodation and food, has proved highly successful for the owners in assisting them to manage the day to day running of the business.
The upstairs area of the main house at Tauhara Sunrise comprises the owners' quarters highlighted by a large master bedroom with a magnificent ensuite with a double vanity; double spa bath and shower - and doors opening onto a covered patio featuring a six person hot tub.
The upper level also contains two other bedrooms (one used as an office) with a bathroom between them; kitchen and dining area with folding doors opening onto the patio; and a lounge with open fire - also with doors opening onto the patio.
The 'media and bar room' comprises a large space which the owners often use as their private lounge and doubles as a site for massage therapy sessions. It leads to an indoor/outdoor bar under the covered patio adjacent to the spa.
The main house area downstairs contains a queen bedroom, with queen bed and ensuite - all the beds having memory foam toppers.
A king bedroom with ensuite has a king bed which can be split into singles, and which has room for another single bed.
"A large kitchenette area between the two suites is wired and approved for oven and could easily become a full kitchen," Larsen says. "This area is shared by the downstairs guests for tea and coffee making and has a full sized refrigerator."
On the same level is a huge garage capable of holding four cars and a wine cellar/fishing equipment room.
The property includes a 51 sq m cottage that was "purpose built with romantic travellers in mind". This is heavily insulated and has its own solar hot water heating.
It has a large open plan bedroom/lounge/kitchenette with huge double glazed picture window and is heated by a gas fire. The kitchenette has a microwave oven and full sized refrigerator.
The cottage is equipped with air conditioning, a Denon sound system; LED TV; double spa bath, double shower with rain showers, double vanity and under floor heating in bathroom. "It is an extremely energy efficient and sound proof building," Larsen says.
The cottage has its own driveway access with small patio and BBQ area and has the ability for the rooftop to be converted into a patio for the use of cottage guests.
Lounge within Tauhara Sunrise Lodge.
Larsen says all the buildings encompassed within Tauhara Sunrise were repainted in 2012. The property also includes a large vegetable garden and substantial landscaped grounds with native plantings. "Tauhara Sunrise Lodge offers a huge degree of flexibility in its operations," Larsen says. "A new buyer could continue running it as a luxury B&B with the current owners having determined that annual income potential could be up to $160,000 based on an average of $400 per night per room @ 400 nights for the year.
"There is the option of living in the upstairs area and converting the downstairs into a self-contained apartment or, alternatively, to continue to use the downstairs facilities for B&B purposes.. The cottage could be used to house parents or grandparents and there is ample space out back to build another luxury cottage on the grounds."
Larsen says the McEwans are prepared to discuss continued involvement in the business as part-time operators or caretakers should the new owners need to be away from the property for extended time periods.
In addition to the lodge's website www.tauharasunrise.com the McEwans also own the website www.fishinginnewzealand.com.
