Here are all the frequently asked questions.

The Pines Resort is a private resort located in the middle of Wanaka township in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The address is within a short walk of the main shopping street, restaurants, and beach waterfront. It is set in a handy location next to The Pines Golf Club, in view of Lake Wanaka and surrounding Mountains.

Timeshare is the term used to describe shared apartment ownership of one week’s holiday resort accommodation in any calendar year.

Timeshare is the ownership of a Certificate of Title for a property, in the same way as private land & dwelling, or commercial property is owned. In this case, the apartment has multiple owners (51) who have an entitlement to book a week and occupy that unit at that time, provided they have paid their annual maintenance fee for the forthcoming year.

Holiday Ownership is the term used to describe what was previously known as Timeshare. When first introduced to New Zealand in the 1980’s timeshare was a new way for families to afford a holiday in a primary tourist destination on a regular basis. Developers seized the opportunity to build resorts where multiple owners could join at a fraction of the cost of a holiday home that was only used once or twice a year! The Unit Tiles Act was the appropriate vehicle to secure ownership for the buyer and the resorts were soon up and running. It was an American idea and with it came all the hype of over-promises and sales tactics that were suspect, to say the least. As time passed those owners who were told they were buying an appreciating asset discovered when it came to selling their titles, that this was not the case. From the disappointment of past experiences, it was decided to adopt the “Holiday Ownership” label to overcome the stigma from the early days. Today all The Pines Resort owners seeking the “Holiday Ownership” lifestyle choice can have the confidence to enjoy their very affordable holiday entitlement anywhere in the World.

Yes, when you stay at The Pines Resort in Wanaka, you can enjoy a refreshing swim in Lake Wanaka which is only a 5 min walk from the resort. Caution, this activity is not for the faint-hearted in the winter months!

The Pines Resort has 26 units each with multiple owners, which is administered under the Unit Titles Act 2011, the same way as a residential apartment. All financial members vote to elect a chairman and 5 committee members, the Body Corporate Committee, at an annual general meeting. The elected Body Corporate Committee oversees the running of the resort. Among other duties, the Body Corporate Committee has outsourced the day-to-day running of the resort to Classic Holidays. The management contract with Classic Holidays works very well for the resort and is likely to be continued for years to come.

“Classic Holidays” is a family-owned provider of Holiday Ownership services to resorts in Australasia and the Pacific region for the past 40 years. Head Office is on the Gold Coast, with a New Zealand office in Christchurch. These services include owners’ unit bookings, exchange resort bookings, grounds & building maintenance, human resources and financial management on a day-to-day basis. They are members of the New Zealand Holiday Ownership Council and manage twelve of those resorts from the Bay of islands to Queenstown. Owning an apartment at The Pines Resort means automatic membership in the Classic Holidays suite of destinations and services. In addition, their Space Banking and Exchange & Play programs offer The Pines Resort owners a connection to affordable international travel and accommodation anywhere in the World.

All of The Pines Resort owners automatically become Classic Holidays members when they own an apartment at the resort. They are given a member number and can access the Classic Holidays website <classicholidays.co.nz> with their individual password. The website is very user-friendly, with several pathways to information about destinations, resorts, travel services, and member account details. Backing this up with telephone contact to a local office in Christchurch toll-free on 050857888 makes it quick & easy to manage and plan your perfect holiday!

They are members of the New Zealand Holiday Ownership Resorts and management companies from the Bay of Islands at the top of the North Island to Queenstown at the bottom of the South Island.

There are 2 types of appartments, Fixed and floating weeks. Fixed week entitlements are automatically booked for the owner in the same apartment each year in Summer, weeks 52 (December), 1-4 (January) and Winter, weeks 30-38 as it appears on the owner’s registered title. Floating weeks must be booked by the owner for weeks 5 – 29 and 39 – 51 subject to availability.

The advanced booking window mostly applies to floating weeks and is the maximum time advanced bookings can be made before the intended arrival date. That window is 32 weeks or approximately seven months in advance.

The Pines Resort has 1 style of apartment. They are all two-bedroom units with a kitchen, lounge/dining area, 1 bathroom/toilet upstairs, 1 toilet/laundry downstairs, and an outdoor patio.

At The Pines Resort, each two-bedroom apartment sleep seven (7) people.

If the apartment owner has paid their annual maintenance fee and does not wish to use their entitlement in the following year, then one of their options is to “Space-Bank” it for future use.

This is the practice of depositing your annual entitlement in a reserve “Bank” with Classic Holidays or another approved booking service such as  RCI, Interval International (II), or 7 Across”. The unit is then held for up to three years till the owner uses it themselves at The Pines Resort or exchanges it for another resort destination somewhere else in New Zealand or Overseas.

Yes, you can rent out your entitlement to someone else as your guest, provided you advise Classic Holidays that they will be staying instead of you. All resort rules apply and any damages during their stay remain your responsibility at all times.

Yes, you can arrive late and leave early but there are no refunds for the days not used. Some owners split their week privately with friends or family to use the full benefit or rent out the days not used to a paying guest. The same conditions as renting out a full week to a guest apply and its the owner’s responsibility to ensure that the apartment interiors and linen are cleaned and ready for the new arrival.

Classic Holidays provides the booking service through their website classicholidays.co.nz and Ph: toll-free 050878888. They can assist you to book your week at The Pines Resort, or exchange it for a week at another resort in New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific, and further afield. They can also “Space-bank” it for future use.

Cancellation Insurance is available for a small additional charge, which enables you to cancel your booking up to 72 hours before arrival and have your entitlement refunded for future use. It ensures against unforeseen disasters or health issues of one or all of the guests, which these days, is more likely than ever before. Due to the continuing Covid 19 pandemic, it is recommended to take out the Cancellation Insurance when making your booking.

Check-in is from 3:30 pm on Friday and the check-out time is 9.30 am a week later. If your arrival is expected to be after 6 pm on Friday then a phone call to the resort reception will ensure the arrival pack will be in the lock-box outside the office. 

There are owner’s private sales listed on our The Pines Resort  website. www.thepinesresortwanaka@gmail.com Sales page where you can check out the listings. Look for the type and style you prefer, then the price. Finally, please note the number of banked weeks which are part of the negotiated price. When the listing number is selected complete and submit the expression of interest form and we will arrange an introduction to the seller for you both to come to an agreement and help you transfer the title through our preferred conveyancer. We can also be contacted on 0272040584 for additional information prior to making your choice.

We have a special arrangement with a conveyancer who specializes in the transfer of holiday ownership titles and can introduce them to the buyer when an agreement has been reached. There are sometimes small and annoying legal hooks that increase the cost of a title transfer but mostly they are with the seller prior to the agreement being finalized. These costs, if they occur, should stay with the seller, but it is rare, and most agreements are simple and straightforward. The starting price from our conveyancer (including all documents for both the buyer and seller, including the GST component) is $941.00 which is a fraction of normal legal fees in today’s market! Unless you have a very good friend or relative in the legal profession, you should be talking to us.

There is a comprehensive display of posters and brochures of tourist attractions of the Southern Lakes district in the owner’s lounge. Bookings for all local tours and trips can be made through The Pines Resort reception.

Booking weeks are numbered from the 1st Friday of the New Year. 

If you are an existing owner wishing to list your apartment for sale with The Pines Resort please email<thepinesresortwanaka@gmail.com> to request a seller’s registration form. We’ll list your apartment when the form has been completed and returned to us.