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A Rotorua “boathouse” arranged with views across the lake to Mount Tarawera has been named New Zealand’s Bach of the Year.
The four-bedroom house, which sleeps 11, beat out more than 4,000 properties nationwide for the gold medal at Bookabach’s annual Bach of the Year awards.
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The Boat Shed is less than 100 meters from a boat ramp, a children’s playground, and a picnic and barbecue area on Lake Tarawera.
With an open-plan granite kitchen, sleek contemporary decor, a “game room” equipped with a 60-inch TV with Sky and Playstation 4, and a spa overlooking Lake Tarawera, the Boat Shed is a far cry from the traditional bach in Whāngārei. Heads who claimed last year’s title.
Unlike in previous years, when members of the public voted for their favorite bach, this year’s winners were selected based on the hours they had been booked through August 15, 2020 along with guest reviews and star ratings and cleanliness.
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Bookabach travel expert Simone Scoppa said the competition had “been a popularity contest” in the past, while this year’s winners reflect the views of “travelers who have actually stayed at these vacation homes. and they have loved them. ”
BOOKABACH / Supplied
The newly renovated Rotorua home features hardwood floors, open-plan granite kitchen, and TV / game room.
Costing around $ 675 a night, Scoopa said the lakefront Boat Shed far exceeds the $ 250 a night average for potholes on the site, but it can be an affordable option for families or groups sharing the cost.
“Sometimes the cost can scare people, but it’s a pretty good value when divided among eight adults, about $ 80 per person per night. Which is not too extreme. “
A major selling point for many guests was the wood-burning pizza oven, he said.
BOOKABACH / Supplied
Simone Scoppa of Bookabach said the wood-burning pizza oven was a major selling point for many guests.
“Little things like this that we are starting to see in interior design and outdoor trends are making their way into potholes too. It used to be the spa. There’s a spa that everyone talks about in this house that has a beautiful view, but the pizza oven was probably what people loved the most while they were there. “
Decor that is “beautiful without being too flashy” also counts in its favor, Scoppa said.
“It is habitable. There is no need to worry that children are going to destroy this beautiful bach. “
BOOKABACH / Supplied
The silver medal winner Hot Pool Hideaway Views in Taupo features an indoor mineral hot pool.
A three-bedroom Taupō house with an indoor thermal pool won silver at the 2020 awards, while a two-bedroom farmhouse on five acres of organic gardens, fruit trees and native shrubs in Mapua took bronze. .
The silver medal winner Hot Pool Hideaway Views, which sleeps up to six and costs an average of $ 275 per night, is Scoppa’s personal favorite among the 15 shortlisted vacation homes.
“What stood out the most about this particular vacation home is that it has its own mineral hot pool in the house. I have never seen a bach of this caliber that has its own hot pool…. People talked about imagining yourself with a glass of rose in your hand and gazing out at the lake as the sun set over the water. “
BOOKABACH / Supplied
The Taupo house overlooks the lake and the Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngaruahoe mountains.
The 15 properties that were shortlisted this year were more widespread across the country than in previous years, providing “further evidence that 2020 is the year of the road trip,” Scoppa said.
While it’s been an extraordinarily difficult year for the tourism and hospitality industries, Scoppa said bach owners “still get a ton of requests and also a ton of bookings…
“We’re seeing people see things like vacation homes and singles as potentially the perfect vacation because you don’t have to share the pool with 10 or 20 other families like you would in a hotel. You can still stay in your own family travel bubble if you want to. “
Scoppa said singles in many hot summer vacation spots are close to being booked for Christmas, but there is still good availability in places like Waikato, Rotorua and Queenstown.
BOOKABACH / Supplied
The bronze medal-winning Karaka Cottage in Mapua is a restored apple pickers’ cottage overlooking Waimea Inlet.
“Usually we never see that many houses available at this time of year in Queenstown, but more than 300 houses out of the more than 1200 we have on the site are still available in the region … So there are a lot of houses there if the people want to celebrate Christmas and spend their summer vacations a little differently. “
Scoopa said that the average price of potholes has not changed since the Covid-19 outbreak. Households in the Nelson-Tasman region have exploded the most during the peak season, increasing by an average of 27 percent. However, across the country, peak season prices are only 1% higher on average in peak periods.
While two-bedroom properties remain the most popular on the site, Scoopa said that bookings for three-bedroom homes have increased in recent months.
BOOKABACH / Supplied
Karaka Cottage sits on five acres of regenerating native organic gardens, fruit trees and shrubs.
“Some of the assumptions we make are that people travel with family members or groups of people to spend time with people they know in a unit …”
Guests stay about five days on average, but Scoppa wonders if, with the increase in remote work, people will spend more time in the bach during the summer.
“It will be interesting to see if families work remotely while the children are still on vacation. We call it “flex.” Mom and Dad can work, but they alternate the days they work with the days they have the children. Instead of having the children at home, you can have them at the bach. ”
