Historic Otago coastal property up for sale

The view towards Dunedin Harbour from Natures Wonders(Supplied)
The view towards Dunedin Harbour from Natures Wonders(Supplied)

Another piece of New Zealand paradise is up for sale, this time at the other end of the South Island.

Nature Wonders, a privately owned 172-hectare property at Taiaroa Head on Otago Peninsula is on the market as of today.

It comes after Awaroa Inlet in the Able Tasman National Park was listed for sale and a Givealittle campaign started for Kiwis to buy a piece of the property and gift it the Department of Conservation to oversee.

The sheep and beef farm is home to some of the country's largest colonies of native species, as well as a conservation estate and tourism business.

It's owned by Otago icon Perry Reid and his family, who took over the family farm in 2001.

Mr Reid, 59, who has been trapping predators on the land since he was seven, says the decision to sell the property was not made lightly.

"We have taken Natures Wonders as far as we can. What it needs now is an injection of money for it stay the way it is, or to be taken to the next level," he says.

"It's for a person who wants to save a bit of paradise," Mr Reid says.

Historic Otago coastal property up for sale

A New Zealand fur seal on the estate (Supplied)

The family has funded predator-proof fencing, thousands of native tree plantings and major trapping programmes to ensure the eco-sanctuary is entirely predator-free.

Wildlife such as yellow-eyed penguins, blue penguins, fur seals, albatross, black-backed gulls, coromants, red-billed gulls, red heron, white-faced heron and pukeko, have all been able to thrive on the beaches.

The headland was part of Fort Taiaroa and home to observation posts and gun placements that served as protection against impending invasion more than a century ago. The remnants of the concrete fortifications still exist on the property and are part of the Natures Wonders eco-tours.

Historic Otago coastal property up for sale

The view from one of the many historic gun placements (Supplied)

"Natures Wonders is a very special piece of real estate," New Zealand Sotheby's International Realty sales associate Matt Finnigan says.

"The rare wildlife, historic gun placements and outstanding natural beauty of this coastal location make it a property of national significance, one of huge value to New Zealand."

"The conservation work undertaken by the Reid family has been a labour of love and an incredible amount of blood, sweat and tears has gone into making it what it is today."

Mr Finnigan is expecting a good level of interest in the estate, including from offshore and expats.

"It will be heart-breaking to leave, trust me. It has to go to the right people, too. They need to be caretakers of the land, like we have been, to carry on the stewardship," Mr Reid says.

Tender closes on April 15 at 4pm.

Historic Otago coastal property up for sale

Penguin Beach, home to a population of yellow-eyed penguins (Supplied)

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