Commercial -
The freehold land, buildings and accommodation business sustaining a historic resort in Taupo’s tourism and adventure heartland have been put on the market for sale.
The Grandeur Thermal Spa Resort attracts domestic and international guests with a variety of rooms offering access to the region’s vast array of outdoor activities.
Positioned on a 3.8-hectare (more or less) site in a sheltered valley on Spa Road, just north of Taupo, the resort is listed on major booking platforms such as Tripadvisor, Expedia and Booking.com.
Traversed by the hot-water Otomuheke Stream, the valley lies in the heart of Taupo’s geothermal wonderland. Natural hot water pools in the area were utilised by European travellers as far back as the early 19th century and were well known to Māori before that.
The site of today’s Grandeur resort was developed with baths in the late 1800s when it was known as Taupo Sanitorium, and later The Spa. The property went through several changes of ownership throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, with significant changes including removal of the 19th-century bathhouse.
The resort today offers a variety of accommodation options in chalets, studio units and campervan sites. It benefits from a strategic location around five minutes’ drive from the restaurants, cafes and shopping of central Taupo, and close to numerous other tourism businesses and commercial developments.
The large landholding also provides the site with considerable potential for redevelopment.
The land, buildings and business sustaining the Grandeur Thermal Spa Resort, at 281 Spa Road, Taupo, are now being marketed for sale as a freehold going concern by Gary Harwood and Lisa Christensen of Bayleys Taupo.
The resort will be sold by way of a tender closing on Wednesday 6 December, unless it is sold prior.
The approximately 38,067-square-metre site contains multiple buildings with a combined floor area of more than 2,000 square metres.
The resort offers:
Guests also benefit from plenty of free on-site parking, free wifi and an EV charging station.
There are also various unused buildings, including a large former bar area and a substantial storage shed, which could be brought back into use for expanded operations.
“This is an exceptional opportunity to secure a large landholding with an existing accommodation business operating on site,” Harwood said.
“Current business activities and enormous redevelopment potential are underpinned by the large land size and Taupo’s central location and reputation as the North Island’s tourism mecca and adventure playground.
“Buyers have the option to further ramp up potential future uses and redevelopment possibilities by also buying the bare freehold landholding of a similar size next door at 271 Spa Road,” said Harwood.
Christensen said redevelopment concept plans plus information on occupancy rates and financials for the existing accommodation business were available to potential buyers subject to signing a non-disclosure agreement.
“Nearby tourism businesses and commercial developments – including Lake Taupo Holiday Resort, AC Baths and Events Centre, Taupo Golf Club, Spa Thermal Park, Spa Point Commercial Centre and the Taupo International Motorsport Park – offer a glimpse into the diversity of successful activities and enterprises the area can sustain.
“The property at 281 Spa Road is zoned Rural Environment under the Taupo District Plan, with existing consent to run the accommodation business. Alternative uses would be subject to a new owner gaining planning approval,’ said Christensen
Situated with access from Spa Road, the main arterial route connecting State Highway 1 with Taupo’s CBD, the site enjoys excellent access from all major entry points into the town.
It lies within 10 kilometres of signature tourist attractions such as Huka Falls and Craters of the Moon and within a 10-minute drive of Taupo Airport.