A high country station in the heart of Central Otago that produces top-quality fine wool, while offering incredible panoramic views of the surrounding area and vast future growth potential, is being presented to the market for sale.
1800 Cromwell-Clyde Road, Cromwell Gorge is known as Leaning Rock Station. The property spans approximately 2,696.8197ha.
Leaning Rock Station was added to Northburn Station in 2001 and runs across the Dunstan mountain range from the Waikerikeri Valley near Clyde on the east over to Lake Dunstan on the west.
It currently runs a mix of merino ewes and angus cross cattle and is run in conjunction with Northburn Station.
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Its estimated carrying capacity is approximately 3500-3900 stock units (which includes the addition of a further 80ha that was recently purchased) and has been leased to a local fine wool grower who has been a careful, conservative custodian in partnership with the owners for six years.
The lessee would consider continuing their tenure if an incoming investor preferred, providing for a passive investment opportunity.
Leaning Rock Station can be accessed from either State Highway 8 in the Cromwell Gorge or Waikerikeri Valley Road near Clyde. It is only 7km to Clyde, 11km to Alexandra, and 30km to Cromwell. Queenstown Airport is approximately an hour away.
This favourable proximity to services and recreational activities makes it well positioned for future development.
The property has modest farm buildings, including a three-bedroom farm workers’ cottage and its associated outbuildings, plus a three-stand woolshed.
Colliers Rural Sales Advisors Ruth Hodges and Mike Eyles have been exclusively appointed to market the property for sale with the deadline for offers closing at 12pm on Thursday 22 December, unless sold prior.
The vendors have owned the property since 2001 and feel that a new owner will have the ability to take advantage of the burgeoning lifestyle subdivision developments nearby and the growth in the horticulture and viticulture industries that neighbour the freehold portion of Leaning Rock.
The freehold parcels of land are well fenced into approximately 20 varying smaller sized paddocks.
The pastoral lease land is subdivided into three larger hill blocks on the Waikerikeri Valley side and a further seven hill blocks of varying sizes on the Lake Dunstan side.
The contour of the land ranges from heavier river flats to terraced tabletops with steeper gullies dissecting areas of the upper paddocks on the freehold parcels to moderate to steeper hill and high country with flatter, undulating tops with significant rocky outcrops.
Hodges, Director of Colliers Rural in Queenstown, says the station, which has been quoted as being the furthest inland you can get anywhere in New Zealand, is well developed through sympathetic environmental management practices.
“Ongoing development with spraying, burning, oversowing, and topdressing of some of the lower hill country has significantly improved feed quality across the pastoral lease land, which has led to improved productivity.
"There are currently consents in place for five years from June 2020 for ongoing areas of scrub clearance,” Hodges says.
“The vendor has an agreement with the current lessee to conservatively stock the station, and this, together with the continuous development, has ensured an increase in productivity with lambing in the range of 105 per cent, and wool weights of 4.7kg per head overall.”
Eyles, Rural Sales Advisor at Colliers Queenstown, says the location and characteristics of the property make it incredibly well placed for further development.
“There has been an increasing number of lifestyle subdivision developments in Central Otago in the past five years,” Eyles says.
“Leaning Rock is handy to a wide variety of recreational activities, including mountain biking, water skiing on Lake Dunstan, and skiing and hiking.
“Central Otago has quickly established itself as an area for quality wine production, particularly pinot noir which accounts for about 85 per cent of plantings. Production from the region’s vines has trebled over the past five years. There are established vineyards on neighbouring properties.
“There’s also horticulture options available as the combination of soils, climate and grower know-how makes Central Otago a leading force in the production of summer fruit, pip fruit, wine grapes, and an expanding range of high-value niche crops.”
uit, pip fruit, wine grapes, and an expanding range of high-value niche crops.”
- Article supplied by Colliers
