Home comes with near-extinct forest
Lifestyle plot boasts kauri trees that are more than 300 years old, writes
AWaikato lifestyle property that has a near-extinct native forest with a stand of more than 300-year-old kauri trees hidden within it is for sale for just over $1 million.
The native bush block is a rare find in the Waikato and is dubbed by the QEII National Trust as a “significant representation of an almost extinct forest type”.
The forest sits on a hill at the rear of the 9.38-hectare lifestyle block at 122B Te Puroa Road, in Ngāruawāhia, and has about eight kauri trees estimated to be between 300 and 400 years old as well as a mix of mature rimu, totara, tanekaha, rewarewa and kahikatea.
QEII National Trust regional representative Robbie Bennett said it was extremely unique to have a small stand of mature kauri in the Waikato that hadn’t been felled. There were 5000 QEII covenants across the country, but those in the Waikato usually related to kahikatea and rimu stands.
“This is a bit special this one because of the kauri dieback that’s out there and little isolated stands of kauri were more likely to be there long-term because the chances of them being infected with kauri dieback is much less because it’s carried through the soil.”
There was a detailed covenant document outlining the restrictions on the area, but it revolved around keeping the stock out and maintaining the fences to protect the trees.
Lodge salesperson Megan Smith said it was an “extraordinary” find that would have huge appeal to someone interested in conservation.
“I’ve not come across this before and it’s actually a great privilege to be involved in finding the next buyer that is effectively going to be custodian for that type of history and involved in that sort of conservation.”
The Gilbertson family previously owned the property and instigated the covenant for the forest in 1999. The area was fenced, surveyed and registered as a QEII National Trust Covenant in March 2001.
“The property is pretty significant,” Smith said.
The new owners bought the property from them in $525,000 in 2009 with plans for free-range egg farming and over the years diversified into goat farming.
However, they were now selling to downsize and the property, which has a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home, various sheds for goats and chickens, fruit trees and the old forest, had been priced at $1.199m.
Smith said it was a great entry-level lifestyle property with such a large amount of land that was only a short six-minute drive to Ngāruawāhia town centre or 22 minutes to Hamilton’s CBD.
“This is entry-level so people can definitely make their own mark in terms of what they do on the property, and it’s been quite comprehensively used too and has the potential to continue to be so. I just think making access to that special QEII forest – there would be a lot of people interested in that.
“I think it’s going to appeal to people that go, ‘crikey, imagine having something that protected and that incredible in your backyard and the opportunity to be custodians and part of the looking after process’.”
Smith said it was a really downto-earth community with special neighbours. Several years ago, she sold a neighbouring farm to the Hope Raising Farm Charitable Trust which had been looking for a larger property to expand the work it did with vulnerable youth and women through horses.