“Rawhiti” an 800-hectare property just off State Highway 1 south of Taihape has benefited from 40 years of stable, committed ownership backed by the same loyal manager for the past 19 years.
Bayleys Rangitikei and Ruapehu salesperson Peter Stratton says Rawhiti comprises three distinct blocks, opening up opportunities for purchase, either as an entire farm or as separate parcels.
One of those, the 334ha Torere Road block, offers a 279-hectare intensive deer operation. It includes a superb purpose-built deer handling shed, a three-bedroom cottage and a three-stand woolshed with sheep yards.
The other two blocks include the main 338ha homestead block on Mangapapa Road and the adjacent 127ha block with additional access off Papakai Road.
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“This provides the opportunity for multiple purchasers to secure land in this sought-after locality,” Stratton says.
Rawhiti proudly boasts its iconic 1910s homestead located in a private setting amongst established grounds on the main Mangapapa block. Extensively renovated in 1994, the homestead offers four bedrooms, two bathrooms and even a library, plus a third toilet and shower adjoining the garage and laundry.
Rawhiti features a great balance of cultivatable country with 282ha of flat to strongly rolling contour, providing a good balance to the remaining medium to steep hill country, enabling a combination of both finishing and breeding.
Over the past few years, the property has wintered over 4,100 ewes, 1,100 hoggets and 250 lambs alongside 100-plus mixed age cows, a similar number of one-year-old cattle and 160 head of other cattle.
The intensive deer operation has been running 550 hinds, and around 600 other deer that includes a velveting herd of 200 stags producing over 1200kgs of velvet, plus 460 weaner deer.
Part of Rawhiti’s success has swung on its excellent subdivision, with 100-plus main paddocks throughout including 40 within the deer operation, while the steeper backcountry could provide the opportunity for carbon farming income streams.
The committed approach to improving the land over the years including fertiliser and a re-grassing programme shows in Rawhiti’s phosphate levels, recording from 20-46 across the property.
Meanwhile, its easier country features well-drained Ohakune silt loam soils supporting around 30ha of crop annually, including swede and kale for deer and cattle over winter and turnip-red clover crops for summer.
Due to its proximity to State Highway 1 and Taihape township, Rawhiti offers a strong lifestyle appeal, given Taihape’s high level of services including schools and rural support businesses.
Stratton says the property’s refurbished gun club building that is now a two-bedroom self-contained cottage is one option to leverage the location with the potential to offer it as an Airbnb stopover mid-way between Auckland and Wellington.
Other facilities on the property include a very comfortable managers’ home on a separate title, a five-stand woolshed with covered yards, excellent cattle yards plus a new sheep and cattle facility on Papakai Road.
He says the property stands to generate strong interest in the region’s farm property market where good land is highly sought after and quality large farms do not often come to market.
“It is a well-located, attractive and evenly balanced property renowned for producing quality stock.”
Rawhiti is for sale by tender closing December 1.
