Humble bach sparks million-dollar surprise
How a treasured family retreat became the most fiercely contested auction of 2026.
For forty years, it wasn’ t measured by market value.
It was measured by summers.
Long afternoons next Lake Hāwea. Family holidays. Shared meals. Generations returning to the same place, creating memories that simply aren’ t reflected in a valuation.
Then, in just six minutes, nine determined buyers wrote a new chapter in the property’ s story.
The two-bedroom bach at 4 Hodgkinson Street in John Creek, sold under the hammer for almost $ 3 million – more than $ 1 million above its council valuation – after 33 bids and one of the most competitive residential auctions the region has seen in years.
For the vendors and Ray White Wānaka’ s Brett Jenkins, the result was remarkable.
Not simply because of the price achieved, but because it demonstrated something far more enduring about residential property – exceptional homes aren’ t defined by size or grandeur, but scarcity.
THE VALUE OF LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
John Creek isn’ t the sort of place most people pass through.
Tucked along the shores of Lake Hāwea, the tiny settlement comprises around 16 homes, with only a handful of permanent residents. It is quiet, tightly held and breath-takingly beautiful.
The area is also deeply personal to the families fortunate enough to own there – something Jenkins understands intimately.
Having spent time in the area with his own family since the late 90s and living locally for more than a decade, he knew this wasn’ t another lakeside listing.
It was a property that represented a lifestyle becoming increasingly difficult to secure.
“ Some properties have an appeal that extends well beyond the improvements on the land,” he says.“ They represent a place, a community, and a way of life that simply can’ t be replicated.”
That understanding shaped every stage of the campaign.
RELATIONSHIPS CREATE OPPORTUNITY
Like many successful sales, this one didn’ t begin with a listing presentation. It began with a conversation.
After receiving a flier in her letterbox, the vendor reached out to Jenkins. The two quickly developed a rapport, laying the foundations for a campaign built on trust and communication.
For the vendor, the decision to sell was particularly pertinent.
Her grandfather purchased the property in the 1980s for $ 25,000, and the existing bach, built in 1986 to replace an earlier structure, became the backdrop for family holidays shared with her sister and extended family.
Selling meant closing a chapter that had spanned generations.
“ It wasn’ t just a property, it was part of their family,” Jenkins says.
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