- An off-grid bach in Charleston with views of Haast and Karamea is for sale at $985,000.
- Vendor Marlon Kruijer seeks a change after buying the property in 2022 to escape Queenstown.
- The West Coast market remains affordable, but interest in million-dollar properties is growing.
An off-grid bach with sweeping views of Haast and Karamea has hit the market on the West Coast for $985,000.
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Million-dollar homes are still a rarity in the region, where the average property value is just over $500,000, so to hit that mark usually indicates something special.
The two-bedroom retreat for sale at 6831F State Highway 6, in Charleston, Buller, sits on a 1ha site and is fully self-sufficient.
Vendor Marlon Kruijer told OneRoof that he bought the property in 2022, after three decades of work and life in Queenstown. The wealthy tourist town just became too busy for him, and he wanted a change.
“I saw it online about three and a half years ago. I was living in Queenstown at the time. I was sick of the traffic and everything in Queenstown.”
The bush life appealed to Kruijer, and his house reflects his love of the wilderness and hunting, with the heads of some of his kills, stuffed and mounted on the walls.
The Charleston home offers great views and displays many of the vendor’s hunting trophies from New Zealand and South Africa. Photo / Supplied
“While I was in Fiordland, I was shooting lots of chamois and red deer down there. Then I had an opportunity in 2013 to head over to South Africa,” he told OneRoof.
“I was on a private farm that a friend of mine owns. I was planning on just taking photos, but the rifle sort of came out. No way I’d shoot a giraffe or a hippo or an elephant or anything like that.”
When asked why he was selling, Kruijer told OneRoof that he was looking to buy something new with his partner. “I’m just wanting a change again. I’d quite like to build a big workshop [or] barn.”
Kruijer said he would miss the bush and the views from his property. “On a good day, you can see as far as Haast, which is a hell of a long way away. And then to the north, you can see as far as the mountains that are behind Karamea. It could be about 500km that you can actually see from the house.”
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The listing is with Arizto agent Brodie French, who emphasises the off-grid elements that make the home special. “A standalone garage, greenhouse shed, solar system, tank water and septic system support an off-grid lifestyle,” he said.
It’s not the only off-grid home to hit the market in the district. A three-bedroom retreat at 7/974 Fairdown Road, in Fairdown, is looking for over $470,000.
The property is a work in progress, but Property Brokers listing agent Jo Makutu said in her listing that “sustainability is at the core ... highlighted by the installation of a 26,000-litre water tank and a Deye solar system with 10 solar panels”.
The heat in West Coast’s property market has seen property values there climb steadily to new (though still affordable) heights, while other regions have been blighted by tumbling house prices.
Another off-grid home in Fairdown, Buller, is on the market for $470,000-plus. Photo / Supplied
The region is still New Zealand’s most affordable, but the upper end of the market gets its fair share of interest as well, Harcourts agent Antoni Houston told OneRoof.
The agent recently sold an upmarket, but unusual lifestyle property on Keogans Road, in Hokitika, for $960,000, and has another for sale in the $1m-plus range.
The Keogans Road property was built by a Dutch immigrant around 26 years ago, Houston said. “He had previously built a house across the road. He was really interested in octagons and incorporated an octagon in both the houses that he built. He had an architectural background in building and cabinet making – very talented.”
Houston said buyers in the $1m-plus bracket came from a mixture of backgrounds. Some were retired farmers, others were Kiwis returning from overseas.
A unique home built by a Dutch immigrant on Keogans Road, in Hokitika, recently sold for $960,000. Photo / Supplied
A lifestyle property at 248B Kumara Junction Highway, in Hokitika, has an asking price of $1.195m. Photo / Supplied
Houston has just listed a property at 248B Kumara Junction Highway for $1.195m. The four-bedroom, two-bathroom 260sqm home sits on 2.46ha of land and is pitched at buyers in the 50-plus age group.
Houston added that he was seeing a steady trickle of Kiwis returning from Australia to the West Coast, including one viewing the Kumara Junction property. “I [also] know of a father who is returning from Queensland, who might be close to 80, and has bought a smaller, two-bedroom place. His son more recently also did a similar thing and has come back to the same town, and he’s bought a slightly larger house on the beach.”
The climate was a big factor in these moves, Houston said.
“Some of them are saying they want to be home close to friends and family, but they’re also finding that as they get older, it’s too hot in Australia. Heat starts affecting them as they get a little older. In the summer, you can’t really do a lot outdoors because it’s too hot.”
Houston pointed out that the Hoki of Hokitika meant “to return” in English.
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