Wildlife sanctuary sale draws strong interest from Kiwis

A beautiful lifestyle estate adjacent to a privately owned wildlife sanctuary is on the market for sale. The property, known as St Kilda or Kokowhai Bay, lies at the centre of one of the most important conservation archipelagos in New Zealand.

The islands surrounding St Kilda are home to many endangered native wildlife species, including takahe, kaka, weka, king shags and tuatara. The outer Pelorus Sound around St Kilda is famous for its marine wildlife - with a large variety of seabirds, several species of dolphin, stingrays, fur seals, and the occasional orca.

St Kilda features two kilometres of scenic coastline within Admiralty Bay, the huge body of water separating the outer Pelorus Peninsula from D’Urville Island at the top of the South Island. St Kilda is a 150hectare reserve established by Pelorus Wildlife Sanctuaries Limited, and offers access to walking trails, mountain biking, excellent fishing, and the hunting of game such as wild pigs and deer which are all classified as environmental pests.

Neighbouring St Kilda is the Te Kopi wildlife sanctuary – also owned by Pelorus Wildlife Sanctuaries Limited. The company’s aim is eventually sell an additional 12 Te Kopi sanctuary estates - ranging in size from 1.2 to 150 hectares (most around 30 hectares), and starting from only $500,000.

St Kilda and the Te Kopi lifestyle block sites are being marketed by Bayleys Real Estate. St Kilda has two deep water moorings and a large stone wharf. Nelson and Blenheim are approximately two-and-a-half hours drive from the property. The road journey out to French Pass and on to St Kilda is one of New Zealand’s most scenic drives.

Bayleys sales consultant Michael Pleciak said much of the land at St Kilda is north-west facing - with several kilometres of outstanding walking trails through native bush, including a trail to Kokowhai (Turner’s) Peak – a 680 metre mountain that crowns the property on its eastern boundary.

The four hour return trail offers views to Mt Taranaki, D’Urville Island and French Pass, beyond to Farewell Spit and the mountains of the Nelson region. An additional 100 kilometres of walking and mountain biking tracks wind their way through the neighbouring Te Kopi wildlife sanctuary,

“The greater peninsula on which St Kilda is located is some 20 kilometres in long, and with its 300 km of coastline, is one of the most ecologically-rich areas in New Zealand. Te Kopi Wildlife Sanctuary accounts for approximately 35 percent of the land, followed by lifestyle properties taking up 25 percent, Department of Conservation land occupy 20 percent, while farming interests take up the remaining 20 percent of the land,” Mr Pleciak said.

“Of that total, the lifestyle properties are mostly regenerating bush, with some mature remnants. On the greater peninsula, there are approximately 30 different lifestyle block owners – with most classifying themselves as being ‘conservation enthusiasts’,” he said.

“St Kilda and Te Kopi are located in one of the most remote outreaches of New Zealand – in fact, the township of Bulwer which was established in 1859, was one of the last settlements in the country to be made accessible by road when that was finally completed in the 1990s. Before then, the only way in was by boat.”

Refurbishment is ongoing at the Bulwer Hotel, where the Recovery Bar and Restaurant has been in operation for several years. The hotel is a 40 minute drive from St Kilda.

The St Kilda property comprises a 1930s style four bedroom and two bathroom bungalow home with rear porch, a large 185 square metre workshop with garaging, second detached garage, a magnificent stone wharf, shed, and numerous out buildings. The homestead is serviced by both mains power and telephone lines, and is surrounded by established trees and gardens, landscaped stream, paths, and lawns.

Among the major environmental achievements undertaken by Te Kopi’s owners at St Kilda over the last decade have been:

• Environmental cleanup and pest control
• The decommissioning of small farming operations in the meadows
• The construction of walking trails to the Peak, and to ridgelines overlooking the many bays and out to distant mountains
• Native tree planting
• Felling of pinus radiata – both wilding pines and some plantation trees for firewood
• Clearing of existing sites for future sensitive development
• Obtaining new coastal permits for the wharf, jetty, and moorings
• Significant consultancy work relating to survey, geotechnical and hydrological issues

“The overall vision is for Te Kopi to be an ‘off the beaten track’ high-end tourism destination for those interested in environmental and ecological tourism. This vision was underpinned by the wealth of wildlife – both on the land, and in the sea immediately off the peninsula’s bays,” Mr Pleciak said.
“Plans are already well underway to develop the area’s tourism potential, but by the same token, St Kilda and the other sanctuary estates could easily be retained ‘as is’ and kept as large lifestyle retreats. St Kilda, for example, independently offers a wide range of recreational activities – from boating and wildlife watching, through to hiking trails, mountain biking, and even hunting for pigs and deer.”

St Kilda is being marketed nationally and internationally by Bayleys. Mr Pleciak said that St Kilda and the other Te Kopi sanctuary estates had already attracted considerable interest from environmentally conscious New Zealanders fascinated by the sites’ unique qualities. Despite the remote location, St Kilda is accessible by seaplane or helicopter from Wellington in approximately 25 minutes.

“The directors of Pelorus Wildlife Sanctuaries, Peter Chalmers and John Lamplough, are passionate about the area, and believe that now is an excellent time to invest in nature for both a lifestyle and business return. While they are selling St Kilda and other sanctuary estates adjacent to the Te Kopi wildlife sanctuary, only 20 percent of the total land will come to market. The remaining 80 percent will stay in native forest for perpetuity,” Mr Pleciak said.

Peter Chalmers and John Lamplough have been working on St Kilda and the greater Te Kopi Wildlife Sanctuary for almost a decade. The team works closely with the Department of Conservation to foster the introduction and breeding programmes for several endangered bird species.