Popular resort changes pay off
When Grant Kilby walks to work in the early hours of the morning, he can hear the snorers and sleep-talkers.
Tip-toeing past tent sites and holidaymakers retired to bed, he catches a rare glimpse of resort life before dawn.
Kilby, the general manager at Hahei Holiday Resort, has lived on the site since 2015.
It was in October of that year when the resort changed ownership, selling to a group of New Zealand families for $13.25 million.
There were fears among the tight-knit Coromandel community that the resort would be bowled to become a concrete jungle, Kilby said, but that was never going to be the case.
‘‘There was a lot of rumour and innuendo going around that the resort was being sold and was going to be developed into highrises, and there were all sorts of rumours permeating the village,’’ he said.
‘‘But this has been in operation since 1958, so we have a lot of intergenerational families that come here year on year; a few of our customers have been here 40 years plus.
‘‘And perhaps in the past the campground had been seen as a bit of a gated community, but residents are able to walk through and provide critique... it’s essentially a park for the residents as well, and we’re very supported both ways.’’
Kilby said there were around
250 permanent residents in Hahei, but in peak holiday periods the population swelled to more than nine times the norm.
The resort sits at 100 per cent capacity from the end of December through to the end of January, he said.
In 2015, Stuff reported that the
7.5 hectare holiday resort had attracted interest from almost 100 serious parties from New Zealand and overseas.
And since the new collective have taken over, the resort has been through a wealth of transformational change in both the development of new product and grounds.
The theme of ‘‘coastal chic’’ has been integrated throughout the park, and hundreds of native trees have been planted.
In collaboration with the Department of Conservation, the
450m beach-frontage has seen further transformation of the view of Hahei Beach through the removal of non-native plantings.
They have also added a 120-bed backpacker lodge, new threebedroom beach front baches, hot tubs with ocean views, and upgraded their other accommodation.
This month, the resort was awarded the ‘PGG Wrightsons Park Grounds Award’ at the 2019 Holiday Parks Awards, something Kilby said ‘‘validated’’ the hard work put in by the team.
‘‘It’s something we want to preserve and protect, and at the end of the day, we’re just caretakers for future generations. I may not be here in 10 years’ time but I would hope and expect this place continues for generations to come.’’
Grant Kilby
I may not be here in 10 years’ time but I would hope and expect this place continues for generati ons to come.’’