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A dormant piece of Waiwera might soon see new life, with the former campground now on the market.
The site has been lying vacant since 2018 (Hibiscus Matters Aug 18, 2023) along with the rest of the former Waiwera Thermal Resort, which in its heyday in the early 2000s brought in a peak of 325,000 visitors per year to the small seaside village.
Urban Partners, owners of the derelict Waiwera Spa Resort, are selling the property, while Colliers New Zealand is marketing the 1.78 hectare site, which is being sold by expressions of interest closing on March 20.
The campground was once a popular spot for holidaymakers, taking advantage of the nearby Waiwera hot pools and beach, alongside the now-demolished Waiwera Thermal Resort, which closed in 2018 following financial troubles under Russian businessman Mikhail Khimich. The resort was finally torn down in 2023 after unsuccessful attempts to restore or redevelop it.
However, local residents might be forgiven for remaining skeptical, with one long-time resident, who asked not to be named, saying it’s just the latest chapter in a long running saga.
“Waiwera is a lovely, quiet seaside town now and although we would welcome some development, we don’t have a lot of control or say, so it’s a wait and see situation,” the resident says.
Moreover, any future use of the campground land will likely require careful planning and consideration of climate resilience as according to the latest Auckland Council flood hazard maps, the front section of the land lies in a flood plain and coastal inundation zone.
The site, however, according to Colliers, does have resource consents for an existing agreement with Watercare for wastewater connections and potential for recommissioning a geothermal bore.
