Makeshift memory-makers

Are we witnessing the demise of the good old Kiwi bach as more and more of them get bowled in favour of plush holiday pads? By VICKI HOLDER.

Sand, surf, sun and sheer simplicity. The classic Kiwi bach sums up cherished childhood memories of idyllic summer holidays. Cobbled together from any old materials that were handy, the bach provided a quirky, makeshift shelter from the elements; a laid-back, rustic retreat from the straitjacket of mundane lives.

But memories are all they might be soon. For New Zealand's favourite piece of Kiwiana is in serious danger of extinction. Anything on coastal land boasting water views, especially within two hours of major cities, now commands a premium price.

Even if it's a crumby old basic shack, it's hard to find waterfront property without a million-dollar price tag close to Auckland these days. If they're available, chances are they'll be swept up and modernised or bulldozed for redevelopment.

Perhaps the most dramatic example of change has been on Waiheke Island where the regular hourly ferry service to Auckland has brought about a rapid rise in property values.

Judy Morgan of Harcourts says the good old Kiwi bach is almost a thing of the past. "Most have been bought and modernised,"she says. "If there's a bach on a good piece of land, you can virtually guarantee it will be developed. They're not just holiday homes anymore.

"Baches are available, but they're not on the water and they don't have views. We recently sold a little Kiwi bach for $360,000 but it was not very close to the water and in the middle of suburbia. The place used to be full of them 12 years ago."

It's disappointing news for those looking at this time of the year. Judy says they're normally for sale after the holidays when families decide the property didn't get used enough during the holidays.

Marie-Dominique Lennan of Harveys, Warkworth, specialises in property in the Leigh/Matheson Bay areas. She hasn't had a waterfront bach to sell in three years.

"There are still a few here. They're very Kiwi and very cute. There's definitely a demand. But they don't often come onto the market. If they do, people grab them. Often they are held tightly for a long time."

The same can be said for Mangawhai, where most waterfront baches have been replaced by "huge, great, flash places", according to Craig Matheson of Barfoot & Thompson.

"In some ways it's fortunate. I love to see old baches, but lots were badly built without permits or codes of compliance. They're a dying breed. It's one of those progress things. People are buying and rebuilding. Anything on the waterfront is at least a million plus. Usually, if it's waterfront it's gone pretty quickly. They're bought by people who have dibs on them."

Matheson says he had one that came up a while back, three streets back with beautiful views, which went for $850,000. He says even a bach not on the beach without views in the central Mangawhai area will sell for around $400,000.

The proximity to Auckland is what has made land in Mangawhai so valuable. "It's too easy to get here. Most of our clients are from Auckland who used to go to the Coromandel. The motorway has made it within commuting distance. When the sewage system goes in, it will change things dramatically again."

In the Coromandel, Heather Arthur of Richardsons Real Estate says baches don't exist in Matarangi, because it was not developed until 30 years ago. She says prices are high and even though baches exist in the popular, older coastal resorts of Whangapoua and Kuaotunu, they rarely come up for sale on the waterfront. She says just a few streets back from the beach in Whangapoua, sections have leapt from $75,000 in 1997 to $275,000 now. "In 1997, you could hardly get rid of them!"

Further north in Kerikeri, Harcourts' Kathy Elliot doesn't get a lot of typical Kiwi baches. "They've either been improved or bulldozed. For the first time this year, we have one on the market. Land value along the east coast has become so expensive, there's not a great deal around. People are pulling them down and putting up proper modern homes."

Baches are gradually becoming the dinosaurs of east coast housing stock. The huge demand has seen many people focus on west coast beaches or look further afield, perhaps three hours from Auckland.