The owners of a trophy lodge and skifield in the South Island have relisted their business after a deal to buy it collapsed.
Mike and Louise Neilson, who are now in their 70s, have been running the Lake Ōhau Lodge and Ōhau Snow Fields for more than 33 years and want to retire.
The 72-room lodge was built in 1951 and is set on a 10ha lakefront property in the Mackenzie high country surrounded by the picturesque Southern Alps.
The lodge is about a three-hour drive from Dunedin and four hours from Christchurch.
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The property first hit the market for sale in August last year and went under contract. However, the deal fell over due to the buyer having a change in circumstances.
CBRE managing director Tim Rookes described it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own an iconic trophy asset in the heart of New Zealand's South Island.
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Mike Neilson told the Otago Daily Times last year that after 33 years of running the business, he was looking to pass the baton to someone else.
"We brought up three children, we’ve now got five grandchildren, and we’re still going 24/7 with it," he told the Times.
"We just can’t keep doing that. We’d like to think a nice family would take it over and carry on the heritage. We’ve always maintained that we’re just the caretakers of something special. And we’re just passing the baton."
The lodge currently attracts 25,000 visitor nights a year and Rookes said there was scope to increase this, by either renovating the existing lodge or building a new luxury hotel on the expansive land.
The Ōhau Snow Fields is run under concession from the Department of Conservation and is a 20-minute drive away from the lodge. Photo / Supplied
The lakeside property is spread of 10ha and has room for a new lodge to be built onsite. Photo / Supplied
Concept drawings were available for two undeveloped building sites on the property and had been designed to capture spectacular lake views.
“We consider this a unique opportunity to own and operate Lake Ōhau Lodge. Ōhau is more than just a lodge and ski field - it’s a tourism icon.”
Rookes said they had already been in talks with global luxury accommodation operators who had expressed interest in operating a high-end lodge at Ōhau on behalf of the new owners.
The lodge’s central location on the popular Alps to Ocean Cycle Trail and the ski-fields had helped raise its profile with international visitors, he said.
Expressions of interest in the property are due by July 3, 2024.
