$20,000 a week - for a holiday rental

Rents are soaring for dream holiday homes in New Zealand - and demand this summer is high. This Waiheke Island home is listed for $2995 a night. Photo / Supplied

Owners of luxury holiday homes are cashing in by renting them out over the busy summer period, often for eye-wateringly high prices.

"These people own multi-million-dollar primary homes as well," says Campbell Bevan of high-end holiday home website AmazingAccom.com.

"In the recession, a lot of people think, 'well, I've got this secondary house, my capital has gone backwards and it would be good to get some sort of income off it'."

It is free to list on AmazingAccom.com and owners set the rates themselves. A 12 to 20 per cent commission on bookings is paid to the website, says Bevan.

All the houses featured are "million-dollar-plus homes", he says, and some rent out for up to $3000 a night during the peak season.

Described as "a drop-dead amazing luxury holiday home", a Waiheke Island four-bedroom house with tennis court, swimming pool and private beach is listed on the website for $2995 a night - or more than $20,000 for a week.

But as many of the website's homes sleep 10 or more people, Bevan reckons they offer a pretty good deal.

He says at full occupancy, most of the homes listed on the website work out at around $50 to $100 a night.

Demand has been as high as ever for the coming summer, with the most popular homes booked out months in advance. Waterfront homes on Waiheke Island are always snapped up quickly, and the more people they sleep, the better. "The value is better and a lot of families want to go away with another family or extended family.

"There's still a lot of demand within New Zealand," says Bevan. "People aren't travelling overseas as much, and we find people would rather holiday in a really nice house than stay in a hotel or resort."

But if you can't quite afford $10,000-plus for a week's holiday, don't despair. Plenty more realistically priced holiday homes are out there, such as the three-bedroom Black Flax Bach on Waiheke, which will set you back $160 a night or $1120 a week during peak time.

If you head north, the cute Mac's Bach in Matapouri is a good option. It has only two bedrooms but sleeps up to six, and costs $150 a night over Christmas, or just $60 off-peak.

Chester Rendell rents out his four double-bedroom waterfront home in Paihia in the Bay of Islands as holiday accommodation. He lives on another house on the property. He says bookings this year "feel sluggish" but are not too much different from last year.

The Christmas-New Year period is always hugely sought after, says Rendell. "I could sell it 100 times over for that period," he says. The peak rate is $650 a night but it goes as low as $500. "You can get 10 people in it. Once you divide it, I reckon that's cheap."

Many of his bookings come from Australia and the UK, often parents who come to New Zealand to meet their kids who are travelling here.

He prefers renting to families but has had groups of young people in the past, particularly around the New Year period. "There's nothing wrong with them, but they are like the quintessential Kiwi - they come out at night," he says.

AmazingAccom.com does get "party groups" but has an online tenancy agreement renters must enter into when they book, says Bevan.

"They're liable for any damages wilfully occurred but, to date, we've only had to charge one person. Our clients are wealthy people, they usually own million-dollar homes. We don't really have that sort of clientele coming through."

Other luxury holiday homes include Cloud 9 in Russell, a four-bedroom retreat with panoramic views and a swimming pool. The house rents for $2700 a night - $18,900 a week - during peak times.

Another Waiheke property, near Cable Bay, rents out at $3500 a night, or nearly $25,000 for seven days. The four-bedroom waterfront house, listed by Waiheke Unlimited, is set on 4.8ha of land and features a helicopter pad and a 17m heated swimming pool.

At the other end of the country, Canyons Lodge in Queenstown is $10,150 a week and sleeps 10.

But if you really want to splash out, why not have a few days at the Hurakia Lodge Villa on Rakino Island in the Hauraki Gulf?

This exclusive spot sleeps 10 people and will set you back a massive $13,000 - not for a week, but a single night's stay.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY