Coastal lodge and campground complex placed up for sale

The only commercially-zoned land and business in the township of Muriwai on Auckland’s urban West Coast – sustaining one of the last few remaining caravan park accommodation facilities close to the city - have been placed on the market for sale.

The Muriwai Lodge Store and Campground overlooking Muriwai Beach some
42 kilometres from Auckland CBD is a 8,477 square metre property containing the full complement of campground type accommodation infrastructure.

The campground was originally established in the 1950s as a stereotypical ‘Kiwiana’ venue for Aucklanders spending long summer holidays at the black sand beach. For the past few decades, the location has been dually operating as Muriwai’s local grocery store/café, and also housing ‘permanent’ residents living in either the cabins or in caravans on the property.

Surrounded by mature trees and bush, the freehold land, buildings and going concern Muriwai Lodge Store and Campground business at 181 and 189 Motutara Road are now being marketed for sale by tender through Bayleys Kumeu, with tenders closing on August 1.

Bayleys North West salespeople Jayne McCall and Scott Kirk said the property sustaining Muriwai Lodge Store and Campground was zoned Neighbourhood Centre within the Auckland Council Plan – allowing for neighbourhood-friendly commercial activities to be undertaken on site.

Permitted activities under the Neighbourhood Centre classification include visitor accommodation, food and beverage sale, supermarkets up to 450 square metres in size, and healthcare facilities typically up to three storeys high.

Accommodation and business infrastructure at the Muriwai Lodge Store
and Campground complex include:
• The property’s main operations block which has a three-bedroom
owner/manager’s flat and an adjoining two bedroom two-bedroom flat on its upper level
• The Muriwai Lodge Store which encompasses a superette shopping
area purveying a small selection of groceries and domestic consumables
• An art gallery showcasing paintings, sculptures and creative works by local artists
• A fast-food outlet serviced by two commercial kitchens, with stainless steel benching, deep fryers, a walk-in chiller unit, and commercial-grade extraction ducting
• Five one-bedroom cabins ranging in size from 26 to 45 square metres, and each with their own kitchen, lounge and bathroom
• A single 68 square metre two-bedroom cabin with its own kitchen, lounge, and bathroom
• Up to 15 powered hardstand sites for connection to motorhomes and caravans
and
• A communal amenity ablution, shower, laundry and kitchen block with four showers, two toilets, a clothes washer/dryer, and food preparation area.

The main central block retail and residential components of Muriwai Lodge Store and Campground total 578.9 square metres. With dual income streams from retail and property rental activities, the cabins and powered caravan sites at Muriwai Lodge Store and Campground are tenanted on month-to-month leases - generating rental income of $85,692 in the 2017/2018 financial year, while the shop
generated $35,019 of rental income over the same period.

Ms McCall said Muriwai Lodge Store and Campground was a virtual blank canvas opportunity for any potential new owner – with numerous add value opportunities available to pursue.

“Potential new avenues for the greater property range from maintaining the present building infrastructure and accommodation-provision and retail businesses, through to simultaneously completely reconfiguring or even rebuilding the main hub and upgrading the campground accommodation back to a tourist-based user model,” Ms Call said.

“This could see the main structure replaced with a more efficient mixed-used building housing the likes of a specialist café which could incorporate the current art gallery, or even the installation of a co-working style shared office space.

“With the building height restrictions permittable under the Auckland Plan, there would also be the potential for constructing a boutique apartment complex above the ground-level retail delivering either commercial holiday accommodation or for permanent lets.

“Looking wider across the campground, the current ‘permanent’ caravan park business model could be substantially upgraded into a ‘glamping’ style business – either utilising the current inventory of cabins and caravans as a core and modernising them, or with the installation of decor refitted chalets or cabins.”

Muriwai is renowned for its scenic and environmental-based attractions - including surf breaks, rock fishing, cliff-top gannet breeding and nesting colony, all-weather sand-based golf course, and equestrian and trail bike riding tracks in the hills.

“The property at 181 and 189 Motutara Road offers a real opportunity to capitalise on this broad spectrum tourism sector – tapping primarily into the Auckland market, which undoubtable continues to thrive” Mr Kirk said.

“While there are numerous eco’ attractions in Muriwai, there is no real commercial accommodation available aside from the nearby camp ground. As a consequence, visitors tend to come into the area as day-trippers driving out of and back to Auckland. That’s a huge lost economic opportunity.

“The two-night weekend-stay market available out of Auckland is enormous – people want to be able to finish work on a Friday afternoon, head off to their ‘break’ destination, and be settled down with a bottle of wine and a platter of cheese by 6pm.

“With refurbished four-star quality accommodation designed to cater for an
affluent consumer market, that places Muriwai Lodge Store and Campground in the perfect position to establish itself as a weekend destination.

“The existing positioning of cabins and caravans within the compound property means there is the opportunity for any new owner of the business to raise the quality of accommodation without adversely affecting the ‘green’ character of being surrounded by the bush and hills of the Waitakeres.”

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