Million-dollar Middle Earth for sale
Sir Ian McKellen described it as his favourite place on Earth – now Arcadia Station near Queenstown is for sale, priced in the range of $15-20 million.
And if Gandalf does not buy his preferred paradise of Middle Earth, other famous names could be lining up for it.
According to Ray White real estate agent Bas Smith, energy drink company Red Bull and film director Sir Peter Jackson have in the past expressed interest in the property.
‘‘There were hundreds of shoots for Lord of the Rings done in the area over four years. Sir Ian just loved that end of the lake.’’
Sited at Glenorchy near the head of Lake Wakatipu, the farm is a rolling 257-hectare sheep and beef property with a storied history.
Surrounded by towering mountains and endowed with an expansive 1.4-kilometre lake frontage, the property is a regular first pick as a movie and advertising location.
The main accommodation is Arcadia House, a rambling 11-bedroom mansion built using native red beech for wealthy Englishman Joseph Fenn in 1906, part of which is lived in by present owner Jim Veint.
Smith described it as a ‘‘solid-asa-rock sprawling house’’ but
‘‘There were hundreds of shoots for Lord of the Rings done in the area over four years. Sir Ian McKellen (above) just loved that end of the lake.’’
Bas Smith, Ray White real estate agent
requiring significant renovation because the family had not lived in parts of it for 20 years.
Veint’s parents Lloyd and Muriel Veint bought Arcadia in 1951 and it has been in the family ever since. It was once a much more extensive farm, with land leased up nearby valleys.
‘‘For the last 20 years it’s been a hobby farm, more or less, but the owner has made a living off it.
‘‘It’s a hard farm to value. It has a 21ha rural visitor accommodation zone, which has high potential for development, with a 12-metre height allowance so you could build a hotel or lodge on the site,’’ Smith said. The rural accommodation zone had been consented and was waiting for the new owner to put roads and power in.
There are also 12 consented residential sites and four lifestyle sections, with the titles subject to conditions.
Besides the main homestead, there is a four-bedroom shepherd’s cottage.
In the past a number of people had expressed interest in buying some or all of the property.
‘‘In typical New Zealand farmer style, until now he has just never wanted to sell it. He’s turned down numerous offers,’’ Smith said.