Mr McGough says the property may not continue to be a holiday park if it is sold to overseas investors but this is not the couple's preferred scenario.
"We'd really like to see it continue as a holiday park which can be enjoyed by anyone but these waterfront camps are fast being subdivided and they can never be recreated," he said.
The McGoughs have had careers in hospitality, business advisory work and rebuilding businesses, but have never previously built up a business of their own.
"We wanted to test our business skills on something we owned rather than something someone else owned," says Mr McGough.
They had come into the business aiming to generate year-round income as opposed to a short-lived boom over summer, excited by the potential of the site and its proximity to the airport (a five-minute drive) and golf course (one minute).
Mr McGough says while they were strongly hands-on, they also worked to build a supportive team which could seamlessly continue the culture of service when they were not there.
The park quickly developed a strong client base of families, overseas tourists and New Zealand sports teams through winter. About 40 per cent were Northlanders, 40 per cent Aucklanders and the rest were from overseas, with repeat business a feature of the domestic trade.
Despite variable weather over the past few months business had continued to grow.
Post-Rugby World Cup bookings were strong and then business shot up in November, double the figure for the previous November.
December and January had been record months as well.
"It turned out to be quite a recession-proof business but we can't claim to have had that much foresight - that would make us sound cleverer than we actually were!" says Mr McGough.
"We've had a great time, learned new skills and now it's time to pass it on to someone else. We just hope they will keep it as a holiday park."
Sotheby's consultant Ross Hawkins said a camping ground holiday in a well-run camp was an affordable option for families and groups who could not afford to stay in beachhouses and hotel/motels.
"Unfortunately for the camping ground thing it's possible that someone may want to turn it into their own private peninsula," he said.
Dying breed
Blue Heron is believed to be one of the last privately-owned waterfront camping grounds in the district. Camping grounds have been steadily disappearing all around the country over the past few years. Most of them, like Blue Heron, are commercial camps on privately-owned freehold land. Substantial increases in land values, particularly in prime scenic and/or holiday locations are believed to have accelerated the process and been a disincentive to start new ones.
There are about 1000 "managed" camping grounds nationwide, nearly half of them commercial holiday parks. These are a mix of privately-managed parks on freehold land; privately-managed parks on public land and local authority owned and managed parks. The remaining camping areas provide only rudimentary facilities to support basic camping experiences. Most of these are managed by DOC, but Auckland Regional Council and a number of district councils manage a significant number in specific localities.
Whangaruru Beachfront Camp & Motel on the water's edge at Parutahi beach over the hill at the northern end of Oakura beach, is also for sale, for an undisclosed price. The owners live outside the region. The 59.299 ha property, being offered in single title or in three lots, is currently zoned coastal countryside in the Whangarei District Plan. Capital value at September 1, 2009, was $8,310,000; improvement value $1,495,000; land value, $6,815,000.
