A big coastal farm park in the Far North owned by successive wealthy Kiwis has been subdivided and relaunched with sections up for sale at an “affordable” $1 million to $1.2m.
Fully gated Wiroa Station, on the Kerikeri Inlet, features two beaches, a vineyard, beach chalets and a tennis court, and Bayleys agent John Greenwood has seven lots available all with freehold titles.
The station is owned by businessman and philanthropist Sir Owen Glenn who is building a house there, but other wealthy New Zealanders have had a hand in the farm’s development.
In 2021 Sir Owen bought the station from Chris Meehan, chief executive of big private property developers the Winton Group, who had bought it from Evan Williams, of the Williams Group, which develops coastal and waterfront property.
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Williams had the land consented and began the development, Greenwood said. He had the titles issued and pre-sold several lots but could not continue and the property was then sold to Meehan who, Greenwood said, was going to add value but decided he had “bigger fish to fry”.
Winton Group is known for building master-planned communities in areas like Hobsonville Point on Auckland’s west, Te Kauwhata to the south of the city and also Wanaka and Queenstown in the South Island.
A New Zealand Herald story from 2021 describes Meehan as a keen competitive sailor who is married to a three-time Olympian and who is friends with Danish royalty.
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Greenwood said Sir Owen fell in love with Wiroa Station and set up a company he called Paradise Found to purchase it.
Sir Owen is known for his multi-million donation to Auckland University’s Business School and other charitable endeavours, and more recently for winning a long-running dispute with former business partner Eric Watson who was once an owner of the Warriors.
Greenwood said Sir Owen fell for the station’s spectacular beauty and pristine beaches.
“Sir Owen, along with Bill Birnie (ex-Mataka Station, another wealthy development nearby), has really added huge value to the property, completing all the work required to make it one of the best coastal farm estates in Northland.”
A coastal farm estate is a large property which has been subdivided into smaller portions and where owners collectively have the ability to use the whole farm more or less as their own, said Greenwood.
Sir Owen Glenn, show here visiting the newly refurbished Sir Howard Morrison Centre in Rotorua, to which he donated $3m. Sir Owen also funded Auckland University's business school and once owned the Warriors. Photo / Andrew Warner
Building has already begun on Sir Owen Glenn's own home on the farm estate, which he bought in 2021. Photo / Supplied
The property is maintained via a body corporate, including in this case the lawns, tennis court and beach lodge, and there are plans next year to put in an all-tide jetty and a boat ramp.
Sir Owen completed the tennis court, built a large storage shed for equipment, completed all the roading and infrastructure, put in a small boutique vineyard which is now producing wine with the help of Rod McIvor, of Marsden Estate wines.
“There is also a beautiful day lodge that has been built on the Sunset Beach for all the owners to use.”
When Sir Owen bought the station he was involved in another Kerikeri subdivision and, like many, the millionaire was drawn to the beauty of the Bay of Islands and the purchase was more than a business decision, said Greenwood.
“He is building a beautiful home there. The views are stunning. It basically encompasses its own private bay. It’s quite exceptional.”
The home will be just one of Sir Owen’s holiday getaways. He also owns a “lovely boat”, has a place in the Viaduct Harbour, has other property overseas and he spends a lot of time in Australia, said Greenwood.
The beach lodge on Sunset Beach is for all the owners to use. Photo / Supplied
The development of the 89ha coastal farm was begun by Williams Group before being taken over by Chris Meehan of Winton Group who then sold to Sir Owen Glenn. Photo / Supplied
Birnie, who also owns some of Wiroa Station, contributed a lot of intellectual property knowledge to the development of Wiroa Station having already developed Mataka Station.
But unlike Mataka Station, where lots are in the multi-million-dollar range, the ones at Wiroa Station are on offer for between $1m and $1.2m which Greenwood said was more affordable for Kiwis.
“It’s within reach of, call it, average New Zealanders. It’s not ostentatious. It has a beautiful landscape and unlike most farm parks that have animals on them this is just mown and kept like a golf course - it’s not a golf course.”
Greenwood said the location was a tranquil and peaceful part of the top of the North Island.
“It’s not on the East Coast where you get affected by big storms and things like that. It’s an extremely relaxing place.”
There are covenants around building standards and design controls, and time frames for building but there are no size covenants, although there are quite strict landscape plans.
Greenwood said the station was a fully developed and gated secure lifestyle environment with 21 titles and around 89 hectares of pristine coastal land.
It’s about 3.5 hours drive from Auckland’s CBD or just under an hour by helicopter, and about 25 minutes by road from Kerikeri Airport.
