Bach (New Zealand)

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A bach (sometimes spelled "batch" pronounced /ˈbætʃ/), also called a crib in the southern half of the South Island, is a small, often modest holiday home or beach house in New Zealand. Baches are an iconic part of the country's history and culture.^{[1][2][unreliable source?]} In the middle of the 20th century, they symbolized the beach holiday lifestyle that was becoming more accessible to the middle class.^[3]

Baches began to gain popularity in the 1950s as roads improved and the increasing availability of cars allowed for middle-class beach holidays, often to the same beach every year. With yearly return trips being made, baches began to spring up in many family vacation spots.