For more than three decades, Smelting House Bay on Kawau Island has been woven into the identity of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. That connection is now ending, with the Squadron listing the Bon Accord Harbour property it has held since 1989, a property whose history reaches back considerably further.
The holding comprises six separate titles covering around 33,000 square metres of waterfront land, with a jetty, a wharf, and native bush running down to the water's edge. At its heart sits Lidgard House, a three-bedroom beach home that has been recently renovated and will be familiar to the many Squadron members who have spent time there over the years.
The Lidgard name carries real weight in this corner of Kawau Island. Roy and Irene Lidgard made their land available to the original Kawau Island Yacht Club on a peppercorn rental, and when the clubrooms opened in 1954 they became the natural gathering point for island sailors and visiting boaties alike. In 1968, tragedy struck when three generations of the family were lost at sea bound for New Caledonia. The mortgagee sale that followed brought the Auckland Motor Yacht Club in as owner, and the land was later gifted to the Squadron, which purchased it from BP in 1989.
Commodore David Blakey has spoken about the thinking behind that original acquisition, keeping the land in boating hands. Whether that outcome is achievable this time remains uncertain. The Squadron recorded a trading loss of over $1.4 million in 2023 coming out of the America's Cup, and proceeds from the sale are earmarked for the RNZYS Foundation Fund and the Westhaven facility.
The nearby Kawau Boating Club took a different path when the Squadron moved it on in 2014, with local members stepping up to buy the site themselves. That property is covenanted for use as a yacht club. Smelting House Bay carries no equivalent protection.
The bay's name is a direct reminder of Kawau's industrial past. Copper mining on the island dates to the 1840s, and the ruins of the engine house and smelter are still there for those who know where to look.
Founded in 1871 and granted Royal status in 1902, the Squadron has had Kawau on its racing and cruising calendar for the great majority of that time. For Gulf sailors who have spent years in those waters, this sale marks the close of a chapter that many will feel keenly.
The listing is held by Barfoot & Thompson's Nadja Court.
