Characterising the qualities of a rural holiday home village: Insights from Otematata, New Zealand

Abstract

Domestic (rural) holiday-making is a significant component of New Zealand's tourism landscape. One socio-spatial manifestation of this phenomenon - Kiwi's holidaying in their own backyard- is the holiday home village. These 'vacationscapes', characterised by high concentrations of holiday homes and large and intermittent influxes of Kiwi holiday-makers, are particularly prevalent in inland rural and coastal areas (Kearns & Collins, 2006) where spectacular scenery and outdoor recreation opportunities abound. The phenomenon is not unique to New Zealand and there is now a well-established international social science literature on holiday home villages spanning the forces which shape them, their local social and economic impacts and the interactions, coalitions and/or conflicts which form between holiday home owners and permanent residents (e.g., Ragatz, 1977; Mottiar & Quinn, B, 2003; Barnett, 2014).