For the first time ever Pencarrow Lodge, renowned as a premium corporate and event venue on the rugged south coast is being offered for sale by tender through Bayleys.

Bayleys Wellington commercial director Mark Hourigan says the options the lodge’s location and facilities offer mean there are multiple lifestyle and business opportunities contained within its 205ha footprint that includes kilometres of beach frontage, stunning views of the Kaikoura ranges and two high-quality dwellings.

“Pencarrow Lodge has been built on the vision Mike and Jane Curtis had when they walked onto what was a large grazing block 34 years ago. They soon saw the potential to expand from the small cottage, transforming it into the expansive lodge we see today,” says Hourigan.

The Curtis’s operated horse-trekking across the property, while the lodge also catered to corporate events and weddings capitalising on a location that despite its sense of isolation is only 15 minutes from Eastbourne village.

The couple also incorporated mountain biking access into the property, offering pre-ordered platters to hungry cyclists passing across the property via the private road that runs out to the Baring Head station on the edge of Cook Strait.

The property on which the lodge is built consists of an area spread evenly between dense regenerating native bush in a central valley that includes nikau palms enjoying the area’s warmer microclimate.

With an abundance of deer, goats, and pigs, the block is popular for invited hunters who have the opportunity to set up in the small hunter’s hut well placed above the bush block. Outdoor lovers will also appreciate the abundant fishing and diving spots in front of the property along the coast, recognised as some of the best in the region.

For those seeking some romantic solitude the property also includes the Paiaka suite, an isolated romantic hideaway tucked into the estate that shares the main lodge’s panoramic views across Cook Strait, in an intimate secluded spot.

Like the main lodge, Paiaka is completely off the power grid and both buildings are powered via a full solar-photovoltaic array, ensuring all the benefits of grid electricity without the connection hassles accompanying remote locations.

The foundation of native bush could lend the property to the possibility of further replanting and accrual of carbon credits which proposed government changes will see only being attributable to native rather than exotic plantings in coming years.

Combined with the lodge’s off-grid power, natural location, and pristine environment, the potential for further marketing as an eco-focused retreat could be an option.

“For anyone wanting to both live here and earn a living, there is the ability to use the Paiaka suite as your home, while leasing out the lodge facilities to a catering/events business – proximity to Wellington itself opens up many more propositions than more completely remote venues can offer,” says Hourigan.

He anticipates strong interest from parties drawn to the property’s relatively accessible location and its “off the grid” appeal, all heightened by its proximity to Wellington Airport across Cook Strait, and only a short chopper trip away.

“It is quite rare to be able to find a place that gives you this sense of solitude and outlook, without having to really go a long way out, perhaps up the Wairarapa coast for example – it offers the best of all worlds, both for lifestyle and commercial opportunity.”

Click here for more information on the listing.