Waoku Lodge is nestled in the hills above Whale Bay. Photo / Supplied
Waoku Lodge is nestled in the hills above Whale Bay. Photo / Supplied
A high-end boutique accommodation provider overlooking a renowned surf break above Whale Bay, on Raglan's famous surfing peninsula, has been placed on the market.
The Waoku Lodge freehold land, buildings and business trading as a going concernat 51A Whaanga Rd, are for sale by deadline private treaty, through Bayleys Hamilton, with offers closing at 4pm on March 14. The property and business feature in Bayleys' latest Total Property portfolio.
The 350sq m lodge with four two-bedroom self-contained apartments is nestled within 4.659ha of bush at the base of Mount Karioi.
The lodge is among Raglan hospitality venues to have benefited from the locality's world-wide fame as a surfboard-riding destination, including a boost from the classic 1966 surf movie Endless Summer.
Waoku Lodge was established in the 1980s as an apartment complex. In 2007 it was substantially upgraded and modernised in a year-long programme undertaken by its current owner-operators.
Nightly rack rates at Waoku Lodge are $499 per apartment. In addition to providing accommodation, the venue also operates an in-house massage therapy and day spa service offering facials, exfoliations, hair hydration treatments, manicures, eyelash and eyebrow tinting, seaweed body wraps and waxing.
The activity trades as Moana Day Spa and operated from one of the apartments.
Two of the four apartments are ocean-facing, one faces on to native bush, and fourth is used as the day spa amenity. The apartments contain two queen-size bedrooms, an open plan living area, full kitchen and deck with spa pool.
The lodge, at the base of Mount Karioi, has four two-bedroom apartments. Photo / Supplied
Bayleys Hamilton salespeople Rebecca Bruce and Mark Frost say there are many options for running the business — either retaining operations in their current format, or expanding the venture.
Included in the business infrastructure is a comfortable two-bedroom cottage above the main lodge dwelling.
Surrounded by bush, the residence has an office space and single car garaging.
"The owner-manager's cottage could also be reformatted into additional accommodation if the business was managed remotely," Frost says.
"Additionally, there is the potential to reconfigure the day spa space back into a fourth luxury apartment — which it was used for up until a couple of years ago.
"Subject to appropriate council consenting, the address has considerable land currently clad in regenerating bush and scrub which could be landscaped and developed to accommodate several more guest suites without impacting on the existing amenities.
"A building platform has already been cleared for this purpose, and the flat area is leased out to a local honey producer for beehive activity."
Over the 2017/18 financial year, Waoku Lodge recorded an average annual occupancy rate of 61 per cent — running as high as 81 per cent during summer or when short-stay specials are offered. Trading records show 56.3 per cent of bookings are from New Zealand residents, with the remainder from Australia, North America and Asia.
The lodge only accommodates free independent travellers. Business revenues have averaged $320,000 per annum over the past three full financial years — with the day spa activities additionally accounting for approximately $34,000 of net income annually after operating expenses.
