Luxury lodge built with defrauded IHC funds up for sale

Ahuru Lodge, near Ohakune. Photo / Supplied

A luxury mountain lodge built with $500,000 stolen by a former IHC fundraising manager is up for sale.

Fraudster Lynn Fiebig siphoned up to $590,000 from the charity and used the funds to build the five-star Ahuru Lodge near Ohakune.

Between October 2006 and May last year, Fiebig created 74 invoices from three bogus companies to obtain the money. She was sentenced to three years' jail in March.

The disabled person's charity lost a fifth of its fundraising revenue for the year and had to suspend services. IHC spokeswoman Philippa Sellens said the charity was "relieved" the property was on the market, but weren't expecting to retrieve the full amount of their losses.

Sellens said: "We're not involved in the sale process as we have no legal ownership of the lodge and we are aware that there are several creditors who are entitled to money before IHC.

"We are relying on other parties to help get our money back and we are keeping in contact with them."

Westpac is selling the property. The lodge's council valuation was $720,000 in 2008, but is expected to go for much more.

Fiebig, who ran the $550-a-night lodge with partner Richard Chittock, spent thousands decking it out with Egyptian cotton bedsheets and a cedar sauna.

Bayleys real estate agent Michael Pleciak said the new owner could continue operating the lodge or turn it into a private residence.

In a statement, he said: "This was built as a well-crafted, high-end lodge facility to cater for both the domestic and off-shore tourist market.

"It is well-positioned to capture the wedding and honeymoon market, the adventure tourism and skiing markets and corporate or special occasion functions."