Passed from one pioneer to another, this expansive piece of land on Great Barrier Island has had only changed hands twice since it was first settled 155 years ago.
Thomas Medland was one of the first settlers on the east side of the island in 1865 and it was the east coast aspect that drew dairy farmer David Eugene Hill here 50 years ago. He had been a dairy farmer in Whakamaru in the Waikato when a hankering for something near the coast brought him first to Auckland’s North Shore and then to Barrier.
In 1969, David bought 275ha of land from Thomas’ descendant, George Medland, and set about living a life of self-sufficiency and committed guardianship of the land. He died in 2002, and now, the last 51.98ha block from that land, at 39 Sandhills Road, is to be auctioned by Barfoot and Thompson on September 17.
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The sale by the three family descendants of David’s late siblings follows the earlier sale of the house, orchards and vegetable gardens and David’s dry stock farm.
David’s nephews, John Seager and Paul Best, tell OneRoof they got to know “Uncle Dave” when he was in Auckland, fronting up to council authorities on matters affecting the Great Barrier Island community.
The plot was first settled in 1865 and has only changed hands twice since. Photo / Supplied
Paul remembers his uncle as an independent man with an eye on self-sufficiency. “He was a conservationist. He loved the country and this property gave him the chance to do that.” He was a great story-teller, too, with both Paul and John describe him as “a bush lawyer”.
David was a medic during World War Two. “He was a humanitarian,” says John. “He always tried to do right by people and do his best to look after this property. He was a very forgiving person. He was quite a brilliant man, a self-taught man and a very, very smart farmer. He was at peace with mankind, the bush and the big kauri trees he loved here.”
The site for sale, which has a CV of $980,000, includes native bush, an adjoining stream, some pasture, elevated areas and many potential building sites, all across the road from Medland’s beach.
Barfoot and Thompson sales agent Nadja Court, who is marketing the property, says: “The owners have considered potential subdivision options with this title and have engaged a surveyor and other specialist consultants to consider possible options in this regard. This information can be shared with qualified prospects.”
These days, Great Barrier Island has an estimated 950 permanent residents happily living in a world where houses require their own generators, or solar or wind technology. More than 60 percent of its 285sq km area is administered by the Department of Conservation.
