A Northland commune with a $100,000 food forest and a flying fox outside the living room window needs new owners to carry on a dream of living off-grid.
The current owners bought the 80-hectare farmlet in Whakapara in March 2022 for $1.7 million and began carrying out their plans to house multiple groups there.
Ray White listing agent Alex Smits said it was a private sanctuary with plenty of sites for people to reside on, while using the land as a communal living space and the food forest and stock as the communal kitchen.
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“It’s a modern-day communal scenario. Away from the cult, but more around families pooling resources.”
Along with the main four-bedroom, two-bathroom property and sleepout, he said two self-contained cabins have already been built and there was room for many more.
A further $100,000 had recently been spent on designing and planting an 8000sqm food forest that included citrus trees, avocado trees, banana trees and berries. It is watered by an automated irrigation system that sourced water from a natural spring.
There is also a chicken coop and cattle grazing on the land.
However, a change in circumstances means the owners are selling while the commune is still in the early stages of being developed.
The owners spent $100,000 designing and planning an 8000sqm food forest on the property. Photo / Supplied
The self-contained cabins were built to support the communal living concept. Photo / Supplied
Smits said the diverse property was not only for off-grid living, but could also make a great home and income property, Airbnb or venue for corporate retreats.
“It’s a farmlet really and once the food forest starts to produce it will provide economic returns as well. If you have a number of cabins on a property like that, [it] will provide more return per hectare than farming.
“It’s pretty unique to get a property of that scale with so many income streams.”
Smits estimated the cabins alone could rent out for $250 a night.
The property also catered for outdoor adventures, he said. “This is the whole aspect of having 80ha of nature’s playground.”
There’s even a 50m flying fox that can be viewed from the deck of the main house.
There are 21 waterfalls on the property ranging from 1m to 8m high. Photo / Supplied
“If you are into horse riding, or mountain biking or motorbiking you’ve got that whole playground aspect. You’ve got the Japanese gardens all around the main house as well for the adults.”
While some would just enjoy looking at the 21 waterfalls ranging from 1m to 8m high dotted around the land, the Japanese gardens are “worthy of a photo shoot in any home and garden magazine”, said the listing.
“It’s got a combination of native bush and kauri, freshwater, and a mix of farming options as well.”
The unique property is also located near the desirable Helena Bay, which is viewed as the gateway to Northland and is home to one of the country’s most expensive properties.
The planned commune is on the same road as the $41m Helena Bay Lodge built in 2012 by Russian steel magnate Alexander Abramov. The sprawling retreat has guest villas, a gym, sauna, massage room, a 25-metre heated swimming pool, and library on 323ha of farmland and native forest.
Earlier this year a multi-million-dollar Auckland property that was the site of New Zealand’s most infamous commune, Centrepoint, was withdrawn from sale.
The 7.62ha site on Mills Lane, in the North Shore, had a CV of almost $9m, and had been targeted at developers with the marketing describing it as “one of the last significant underdeveloped landholdings on the fringe of Albany”.
The Centrepoint commune shut down in 2000 and eight years later, in 2008, it was bought by Prema Charitable Trust for just over $4m and was run as a wellness retreat. It had been on the market for nine months before it was pulled without finding a new buyer.
- 620 Russell Road, in Whakapara, Whangārei, is for sale by negotiation
