A former dairy farm bought by a group of mainly Aucklanders to turn into a commune for Hare Krishna followers is up for grabs again because no one in the religious community decided to move there.
The group of around 10 Hare Krishnas chipped in to buy the 65.2-hectare property at 274 Kirikopuni Road, in Parakao, Northland, for $1.24 million in 2022.
They renamed it Krishna Farm and had visions of creating a self-sufficient village for others like them.
Ray White agent Alex Smits, who is marketing the property, told OneRoof the group bought it after Covid lockdowns, when many people were dreaming of escaping the rat race.
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“The idea was that you could bring your cabin and become part of the communal life, have a community garden and everyone work together to make happy karma,” he said.
The plan was to establish educational facilities, a food forest, cow protection, workshops, festivals, a temple, and accommodation.
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However, the project failed to take off. “Life got back to normal and no one relocated out so it kind of became superfluous to needs,” Smits said.
While Hare Krishnas had visited the property, no one had committed to living there permanently.
The property comes with a four-bedroom house, an inground swimming pool, and two sheds. It is currently tenanted by people with links to the Hare Krishna community.
Hare Krishnas adhere to a non-violent vegetarian lifestyle and believe cows are sacred. Smits said the group had acquired some retired dairy cows to protect and help keep the grass down. “It’s almost like a cow retirement village. They are there just to live out their lives in happy karma.”
The property is spread over 65 hectares in Northland and used to be run as a beef farm. Photo / Supplied
Hare Krishnas spread their joy. The group believes, among other things, that cows are sacred animals. Photo / Getty Images
Some of the land was also leased out to a neighbouring farm as the grass was getting too long for the owners to manage alone.
Smits, who sold the farm to the group, said it had previously been owned by the Field family, who had lived there for 60 years before retiring to Whangarei. They had initially run it as an old school dairy farm with only about 150 cows before later converting into a beef farm.
Smits said the property would still make a good entry-level farm for someone. The previous owner grazed about 120 mixed-age cattle on it, which provided a good enough return for a first-farm buyer.
“It’s suitable for somebody looking to supplement their income because it’s set up well enough that it could be farmed as a weekend farm,” he said.
“I don’t think there’s many places in New Zealand where you could buy a block that size with a good return on it in that sort of price bracket.”
The property, which has an RV of $935,000, is being sold by tender, with buyer interest over $1m invited.
“Geographically, it’s a stunning block. It’s got this big mountain behind it which acts as a natural windbreak, It’s north-facing, it’s a really warm block with volcanic soils.”
- 274 Kirikopuni Road, Parakao, Northland, is for sale by tender
