Holiday homes for getaway to remember

Mahia Park Lodge is available to rent from $1490 per night. Photo / Supplied

Once, the Kiwi bach was little more than a dilapidated, sun-bleached shack. But now, for a few, it is a multi-million dollar luxury mansion.

While you're slumming it this summer, others are living it up. The Herald on Sunday has been back through its files to give readers a taste of some of the top-end holiday properties in use this year:

1. On the water's edge on Waiheke Island, a bach valued at close to $10 million boasts a swimming pool and tennis court. The three-bedroom Wells Bay property is used as an occasional holiday home.

2. A three-bedroom Lockwood holiday home in Hahei has a luxurious view. It was sold at auction two weeks ago for more than $2 million. The Wigmore Cres holiday home overlooks Hahei Beach and borders a reserve.

3. Nearby, a 1960s bach on Simpsons Beach has a million-dollar view, and a pricetag to match. The three-bedroom Wharekaho Rd property is valued at close to $1.1 million.

4. Also on Waiheke Island, sailing champion Brad Butterworth's new $3.9 million bach sits on a golden sand beach near Oneroa. He bulldozed a 1940s bach to build the palatial new hideaway. The bach won an Institute of Architects award this year, with judges praising the "theatrical, sensuous, beautifully-proportioned" house built in multicoloured rock with rotating fins on its upper level to open it to the sea.

5. Another award-winning bach, owned by American couple Fred and Kitty Mann, is on Otamarua Rd in the Bay of Islands village of Russell. Described as minimalist, it features double glazing, wool insulation and sustainable materials and wide ocean views of Roberton Island.

6. In Queenstown, the owners of a three-bedroom, three-bathroom townhouse get "stunning views" over Lake Wakatipu, says estate agent Stephanie McMeekin. Overseas owners bought the property for $1.6 million a year ago and use it as a holiday home.

7. Manukau is not known for top-dollar luxury, but Mahia Park Lodge offers holiday makers elegance and extravagance - at a price. The four-bedroom property is available to rent from $1490 a night. The beachfront property on the south bank of Manukau Harbour offers "uninterrupted panoramic water views", according to its website. It also features plasma TVs in every room, a swimming pool, spa bath, drying room and underfloor heating. Owner Craig Pulman says it's the "overall luxury of the place" that appeals to people. "The views are quite stunning and it's the ease of access," he adds. "It's close to the motorway and the airport."

8. Prominent architect Ken Crosson's $1.1 million bach won the Institute of Architects Supreme Award and was in the World Architect News' 2006 list of the world's six best houses. The bach on Black Jack Rd, Kuaotunu, overlooks Otama Beach at the top of the Coromandel. Crosson bought a 10ha conservation block in 1999 and, two years later, built what was described by one magazine as the home of the decade. It has feature walls that can be lowered to become decks, revealing the interior - and providing a view of the ocean beyond.

9. Anthony McCullagh, who runs a corporate recovery and insolvency firm, spends his weeks in Freemans Bay, Auckland, but owns a $2.1 million bach on Aotea Rd on Great Barrier Island - a holiday getaway. It is the only bach on beautiful Awana Bay, next to an extensive maritime park. Surrounded by a Department of Conservation reserve, the retreat has commanding views of one of the island's best surf beaches. Built in 1987, the two storey open plan home is described by Bayleys real estate as the ultimate Kiwi bach - with a three-car garage.

10. Lake Tarawera's Spencer Rd is home to some of the most stunning baches in the Bay of Plenty - but pre-eminent among them is a $2.5 million lakeside bach with its own boatshed and jetty. A British couple own it as a holiday home, but have put it up for sale by tender. The three-storey Canadian cedar and river stone bach is fully smart-wired so the owners can control blinds and lights by mobile phone. Privacy is paramount with gated entry and neighbouring bush. The bach, built in 2006, has an open plan dining room and lounge overlooking an infinity pool. It has pitched ceilings.