A future Proof Farm - The Potential is Here!

A Manakau deer and dry stock farm that’s for sale for the first time in more than 30 years is being sold with the option of buying a neighbouring block.

The 96.1158-hectare property, at 962 State Highway 1, includes a five-bedroom homestead with landscaped gardens, an inground heated swimming pool and a three-bedroom cottage.

There’s also passive income of $10,000 a year from the leasing of land to 2degrees for a cellphone tower.

‘‘It’s in four titles and has two road frontages,’’ Tony McEwan, of Harcourts Otaki, says.

‘‘The owners are also selling a 14.1629-hectare adjoining block at 134 Waikawa Beach Road, so the two can be bought together or separately. ‘‘

The bigger farm can sustain about 1100 head of deer and also runs sheep and beef.

‘‘It’s well fenced with a central race, good cattle yards and deer handling facilities with large utility shed, and an excellent water supply,’’ McEwan says.

‘‘The soil type is stony silt loam, so it’s free draining and has an excellent fertiliser history.’’The house is at the end of a tree-lined drive and sits amid mature trees and a large flat lawn.

It includes a kitchen with lovely garden views, a doubleoven and a modern double dish drawers, separate living and dining plus media room that open to a covered patio with a pergola, two bathrooms and an ensuite, and two-car garaging. The adjoining deer-and-dry stock unit has the same soil type; the owners bought it 16 years ago to run in conjunction with the main farm.It has a three-bedroom cottage that can be rented out.

McEwan says the diversified income means you don’t need a farming background to enjoy the lifestyle the farm offers, as the owners came from Wellington City and employed farm managers.’’We were living in Seatoun Heights, and it was nice to come up here and get away from the wind and the city,’’ they say.

‘‘It’s been a lovely place to raise a family. We have nine children, and four of them were still living with us when we came here.

‘‘Most of the family has followed us north, although not quite as far as Manakau, and are sad we’re selling because they love visiting and using the pool.’’

Initially one of their sons lived in the cottage while he managed the farm and now it’s the quarters of another farm manager.

‘‘You don’t have to be a farmer to own this property because you can have it managed,’’ they say.

‘‘This is a very rare opportunity to buy nearly 110 hectares of flat, fertile land within an hour’s drive of Wellington and Palmerston North,’’ McEwan says.

‘‘It’s future-proofed because it combines great infrastructure and a fantastic lifestyle with extra income.’’