Winery on former hospital site for sale
They bought an old hospital with a dream of starting a winery and pulled it off. Now they’re moving on and putting that established winery and business on the market.
In 2000, Max and Kate Annabell sold their one-bedroom flat in London and bought 7000 square metres of abandoned hospital buildings and seven houses sprawled across 86 hectares just south of Waipukurau.
With little in the way of horticultural experience – they once grew tomatoes in window-boxes – Rotorua-born Max, a computer analyst, and Londoner Kate, a lawyer, were determined to make wine.
A search of the North Island for the perfect piece of limestone hill country proved fruitless until they came to Waipukurau, where a local agency had the old Pukeora Hospital on its books.
Abandoned by Central Regional Health Authority in 1998, the hospital had failed to attract a buyer and its sale price had fallen dramatically from the initial $1.1 million.
The couple snapped it up. Over the past 17 years, they have raised two daughters on the land and established a well-regarded hospitality venue with its own vineyard, boutique winery, cafe and accommodation facilities.
Now they’re moving on. Kate said the experience had been ‘‘everything we wanted and more’’.
‘‘We looked at each other and pinched ourselves, it was definitely love at first sight,’’ she said.
Perched high on a stunning hilltop overlooking vineyards, rivers and with views out towards the Ruahine Ranges, Pukeora has the wow-factor in spades. Translated from Maori, its name means ‘‘hill of health’’, and the site began as a
retreat for WWI soldiers, before becoming a public sanatorium and then, from late 1950s, a care facility.
Listing agents Property Brokers said the land boasted approximately 13,000 grape vines producing a range of grape varieties, including their gold medalwinning chardonnay.
‘‘A great venue for weddings, functions and seminars, facilities include accommodation for up to 116 guests, a variety of large halls and meeting rooms, a cafe, bar and heated swimming pool. Pukeora’s spectacular location makes it the perfect place for special events such as The CHB Festival, an annual wine, food, art and craft extravaganza.’’
The full 32ha property has an extensive number of buildings, built through the decades from early 1900s up to 2009.
After 17 years, the Annabells are now ready for a new challenge and hope to leave Pukeora as a launch pad for someone else’s dreams.
‘‘Whatever changes or tweaks are made to Pukeora, the most outstanding feature and what we will miss the most are the stunning views from the property’’ Kate said. ‘‘We will most likely stay local but will choose a simpler, less complicated pursuit – starting with dusting off the Kombi.’’
The property is being sold by tender through Property Brokers Waipukurau, with bids closing at 4pm on November 1.
The property includes six freestanding dwellings, three flats and two connected three-bedroom residences. There are 5ha of grapes (predominantly chardonnay and pinot noir) which are made into wine on site, bottled and sold under the Pukeora label.
It has catered accommodation for up to 120 guests, with 12,000cum of building area including a hall, commercial kitchen and indoor pool.