NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Property

A special delivery to the lake

By Graham Hepburn
NZ Herald·
24 Nov, 2015 04:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

20 Atutahi Street, Taupo. Former post office, not a home. Photo / Supplied.

20 Atutahi Street, Taupo. Former post office, not a home. Photo / Supplied.

20 ATUTAHI ST, TOKAAN
3
2
1
SIZE: Land 901sq m, house 130sq m.
PRICE INDICATION: $375,000
INSPECT: Sun 12.15- 12.45pm or by appointment.
ON THE WEB: bayleys.co.nz/2510570
CONTACT: Maurice Heappey, Bayleys Turangi, 07 386 8686, 027 277 1674.

Buying homes sight-unseen is common in today's internet age but not 23 years ago when Margaret Scott and Don Brown acquired their Tokaanu bach.

Margaret says: "It was a post office that had been closed and empty for seven years and Lands and Survey decided to sell it.

"Don saw it on a mailer that came through to him and we got in first."

She and Don were keen to have a bach in an area that has easy access to snow skiing, boating, water skiing, fishing and thermal pools.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

And they weren't disappointed when they did lay eyes on their new holiday home in the small village at the southern end of Lake Taupo.

"It was a typical government building in that it was wonderfully built but everything was covered in off-white paint and lino," says Margaret.

They spent a good deal of time getting rid of paint and lino to reveal the rich kauri and matai timber beneath.

As with a lot of country post offices, the weatherboard building was set up for postal business at the front with accommodation at the back for the postmaster.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The post office now serves as the main living/dining/kitchen area, although there are remnants of its previous life -- the mail-sorting box with names on the cubbyholes still stands against the wall in the living area, and the old phone booth now serves as a pantry off the kitchen and one of its wooden doors is a dining table.

In this room, the rich grains of the timber joinery are on display with forest green-paint providing contrast above the panelling. The bathroom also features timber panelling and the native wood joinery is on display in the bedrooms.

Family bach was a post office once upon a time and makes the most of the area's thermal activity. Photos / Supplied
Family bach was a post office once upon a time and makes the most of the area's thermal activity. Photos / Supplied
Family bach was a post office once upon a time and makes the most of the area's thermal activity. Photos / Supplied
Family bach was a post office once upon a time and makes the most of the area's thermal activity. Photos / Supplied
Family bach was a post office once upon a time and makes the most of the area's thermal activity. Photos / Supplied
Family bach was a post office once upon a time and makes the most of the area's thermal activity. Photos / Supplied

Image 1 of 6: Family bach was a post office once upon a time and makes the most of the area's thermal activity. Photos / Supplied

The couple removed a rotten porch and have repainted the building a couple of times. They also reconfigured the entrance to make it more user-friendly and put in two sets of french doors to open up the building more. They paved a courtyard area and tidied the garden, which is framed by a picket fence on the street front.

As well as the main living area, the home has a separate lounge with a piano that is being sold as part of a fully furnished package -- right down to a box full of toys.

Another bathroom was added that could be turned into an en suite for one of the three bedrooms.

Margaret says the home can sleep up to 14 people.

To keep their boat under cover, the couple added a garage.

They also created a covered barbecue area and put in a spa pool on the deck. The spa pool is fed by natural spring water that has been cooled to a comfortable temperature. The thermal waters are also used to heat the radiators throughout the house.

Margaret says Tokaanu has been a "wonderful play area", offering great trout fishing, a boat ramp nearby and easy access to scenic highlights such as the Tongariro Crossing -- consistently recognised as one of the world's great walks.

Margaret says she and Don are selling because they want to spend more time closer to the sea but will miss a property that has been a great place to unwind and easy to rent out as holiday accommodation when they haven't been using it.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It's been a wonderful holiday house but also a nice community to live in," says Margaret. "We've got to know all the locals and they are really nice people."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Property

Property

'OMG, it was nuts': Buyer snaps up house within 24 hours of seeing it

03 Jul 07:14 AM
Property

NZ's biggest luxury apartment for sale - what $7m gets you

03 Jul 07:05 AM
Property

Helicopter pilot's off-grid Taupō cabin draws international interest

03 Jul 06:55 AM

Audi offers a sporty spin on city driving with the A3 Sportback and S3 Sportback

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Property

'OMG, it was nuts': Buyer snaps up house within 24 hours of seeing it

'OMG, it was nuts': Buyer snaps up house within 24 hours of seeing it

03 Jul 07:14 AM

Modern home sells for almost $300,000 above its reserve.

NZ's biggest luxury apartment for sale - what $7m gets you

NZ's biggest luxury apartment for sale - what $7m gets you

03 Jul 07:05 AM
Helicopter pilot's off-grid Taupō cabin draws international interest

Helicopter pilot's off-grid Taupō cabin draws international interest

03 Jul 06:55 AM
'Special ceiling': sun and moon art adorn new Auckland train station

'Special ceiling': sun and moon art adorn new Auckland train station

03 Jul 03:00 AM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP