A rural landholding close to one of New Zealand’s oldest and most historic towns – and named after one of Maoridom’s most famous legends - has been placed on the market for sale.

The 374.5-hectare property known as Ranginui Station is located in the hills some 17 kilometres to the east of Russell in the Bay of Islands. In Maori mythology, Ranginui was known as ‘Father Sky’ and he fell in love with Papatuanuku, or ‘Mother Earth’.

The nearby historic township of Russell dates back to the early 1800s when the settlement, then known as Kororareka was predominantly a trading centre frequented by whalers, seafarers, and merchants. The town houses one of New Zealand’s oldest hotels, the Duke of Marlborough.

Zoned general coastal and rural production under the Far North District Council plan, the topography of Ranginui Station consists of a mix of moderately-sloping bush-clad hillside land above grassed valley floor pasture used to sustain beef breeding and fattening activities.

Approximately one third of the property is in pasture. There are 15 paddocks segregated by a mix of baton and wire, and electric fencing, with, pasture blocks linked to the cattle yards.

The freehold property has the potential, subject to council approval, to allow for subdivision of the property down to 20-hectare lots.

Ranginui Station at 138 Kempthorne Road is being marketed for sale by tender through Bayleys Kerikeri, with tenders closing on November 12. Salespeople Irene Bremner and Darran Sanders said the farm sustained 370 cattle for breeding and fattening.

Bremner said Ranginui Station and the surrounding area had a recorded annual rainfall of 1,575 millimetres, with an average temperature of 16 degrees Celcius.

“Due to the farm’s low altitude - combined with its proximity to the coast - winters are comparatively mild at Ranganui Station, and the climate is conducive to good seasonal pasture growth and relatively easy stock management practices,” Bremner said.

“Irrigation over the farm is reticulated from four dams and ponds, along with the potential to draw water from free-flowing streams running through the property.”

Building Infrastructure on the Kempthorne Road property consists of:

• A drive-through utility shed for machinery and equipment storage
• A set of cattle yards with access for stock trucks
• A double garage with one-bedroom self-contained flat attached
• A standard half-round corrugated iron hay shed
and
• A single-level four-bedroom/two-bathroom homestead residence built in 2004.

The property also comprises of approximately 20 acres of easily accessible mature pine trees which are ready for felling. Sanders said the forested portion of Ranginui Station gave potential purchasers multiple options – ranging from leaving the plantation as is as an environmentally-aesthetic benefit, through to harvesting the logs and either replanting the hillside in higher value native timber, or grassing the resulting cleared slopes to increase the overall grazing area.

“Alternatively, any felled and cleared land could also be replanted in manuka or kanuka to sustain the development of apiary activities in what has become fastest growing export commodities… honey,” he said.

“Future subdivision with council approval also adds the potential for a new owner to look at the options of creating a multiple lifestyle block enclave under any multitude of individual sizes and aspects. Some of the elevated positions within the farm for example allow for water views of the outer Bay of Islands.

“The long prominent frontage of the current farm landholding along Kempton Road, combined with several existing paper roads within the property, would allow for multiple new access points and drivewyas to be created for any new sections at Ranginui Station.”

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