Own your own island - for $16 million
A privately owned island close to Nelson city with tourist chalets and 1900 sheep could be yours – for $16 million.
Pepin Island is attached by a causeway to the mainland at Cable Bay, a 25-minute drive north-east of central Nelson.
Sotheby’s Realty listed the 518-hectare island last week with a $16 million price tag.
Agent John Bampfylde said on Thursday there had already been a ‘‘couple of nibbles’’ from interested buyers.
Interest had been shown from potential overseas buyers, but there had been a small number of local inquiries.
Bampfylde declined to say why the owner was selling, or even confirm their identity. But previous records have shown it was bought for $2 million in 1996 by German industrialist Viola von Hohenzollern.
When she died in 2012 it was inherited by her daughter Olivia Hallman.
Bampfylde said it was a unique property because the entire island was privately owned, it had three tourist eco-chalets, a seven-bedroom main farmhouse plus three cottages, and was so close to Nelson.
The hilly island – it’s summit is 400 metres above sea level – had a working farm with 1900 sheep and 100 cattle, but also had patches of native bush. An extensive network of tracks lead to secluded beaches and coves.
In 2011, von Hohenzollern (previously known by her married name of Hallman) and farm manager Andrew Newton won a top Nelson Tasman Environmental award for their custodianship.
It had seen an overgrazed, rundown, goat-infested farm vastly improved by planting, fencing, pest control and good farming practices. Pine trees had been replaced by more than 7000 native trees.
In 2015, Newton said von Hohenzollern, a former German businesswoman of the year as head of multinational steel giant Theis, had a real affection for New Zealand and it had been a privilege to work for her. The publicity-shy owner, who got around on the island in shorts and togs, last visited not long before her death.
Her daughter was also a ‘‘reasonably private person’’.
The island held an annual open day as a fundraiser for the nearby Hira Volunteer Fire Service, attracting hundreds of people for the rare opportunity to walk or ride its tracks.
The 1996 purchase of the island was approved by the then Overseas Investment Commission, and attracted controversy several years later when a promised tourist venture did not eventuate.
The three eco-chalets have been built in recent years.
Any overseas purchaser now would require approval from the Overseas Investment Office.