Ewe bewdy! Look what’s for sale

Ever wanted your own giant sheep? Now is your chance, because Tirau’s famed corrugated sheep and ram couple is on the market.

The corrugated pair on the corner of State Highway 1 on Tirau’s Main Rd has been listed for sale with the tender due to close on November 9.

The giant crafted animals sit on a 2103sq m site, alongside a large corrugated dog — a trio of popular attractions in the small Waikato town, 50km to the southeast of Hamilton.

The dog is leased for the next six years by the South Waikato District Council, which uses it as public loos and an information centre.

Bayleys agent Blair Hutcheson said the sheep and ram duo still offered great potential for either a commercial or, pending council approval, a residential space.

“The location of the section is a huge drawcard — with a high-traffic bus-stop right outside, and a recently completed BP petrol station across the road.”

The township, with a population of just under 700 at the last Census, is a popular stop for those travelling south along the Waikato Expressway.

Hutcheson said the corrugatediron landmarks, which had a huge captive audience daily, offered a rare opportunity for buyers to get an “original piece of New Zealand history”.

The iconic installations’ owners, Nancy and John Drake, first established the sheep in 1994 as a wool and craft store.

Mrs Drake said it was a “gamble” to set up shop in the Waikato, but one that had paid off as thousands of people each year stop by for a visit and a photo opportunity.

The dog, designed by artist Steven Clothier, followed in 1998 after the South Waikato Council asked to use the site to open new public toilets. The body of the ram followed in 2005, although Clothier was unable to complete its head till this year.

The animal trio was ranked number two of seven things to visit in the farming town on TripAdvisor and has even been awarded a Certificate of Excellence.