For more than 60 years the Macdonald family has been farming the land in sheep, cattle and at one stage deer, expanding the farm when neighbouring properties became available to reach a sprawling 907ha that today carries 10,000 stock units through winter without supplementary feed.
At one stage, with supplements, the farm carried 15,000 stock units including a leased block, before simplifying the operation to grass-fed sheep and bulls; buying dairy bull calves that are finished at 18 months.
Graham Beaufill from Bayleys in Rotorua said its next phase would likely be dairying, with its consistent rainfall and easy contour.
“There’s about 700ha of pretty easy contour suitable for dairying and as one unit it would probably have one or two dairies as well as support land, or it could even have three dairy farms.
“It’s got numerous titles and if there was interest in splitting it up into 270ha blocks, we’d consider it.”
Milk tankers already pass the farmgate and a dairy farm sits on one boundary of the property, in the Te Whaiti Valley near Galatea.
A network of main races and tracks is already established to enable access to most of the 140 paddocks, with numerous other tracks for farm vehicles over the remaining hill country.
Material for the races, including rotten rock, pumice and river shingle is all obtained from the farm.
Over the years the farm has evolved, with chunks of the undeveloped scrub land being turned into productive pasture.
One of the neighbouring properties bought by the family was once a Presbyterian Church agricultural training school for Maori boys.
Today annual cropping is used for lamb finishing, as well as about 40ha of established lucerne. But grass grows well here, allowing for the supplement-free feeding policy for the bull beef.
An annual rainfall of about 1500mm spread throughout the year keeps the grass growing without irrigation.
Stock water is supplied from natural springs, creeks and dams to top up water troughs around the farm via a gravity-fed system.
The Whirinaki River on the western boundary runs rich with rainbow and brown trout – an attraction that once brought Prince Charles to the farm for a private day’s trout fishing.
“It’s really quite an attractive farm, with easy, undulating land and water coming out of the hills.”
Over the years, the farm has acquired more houses as neighbouring blocks have been bought and it now has five homes, including a modified jailhouse that was the family home for 13 years until a bigger dwelling was built.
The historic jailhouse was bought from the Crown and relocated by truck from the old Te Whaiti township.
Today it is used as commercial accommodation for fly fishers spending time at the Whirinaki River.
The main homestead is a five-bedroom residence with two lounges and four bathrooms, while the manager’s home was built in 2012 with four bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Added to these are a recently renovated four-bedroom 1940s home and a three-bedroom house relocated to the site in 2006.
Over the years the farm has built up considerable infrastructure through its expansion and now has two woolsheds with two large cattle yards, several hay barns and multiple implement sheds.
It also has its own airstrip with a 100 tonne fertiliser bin to support nutrient application. Fertiliser and lime have been applied to the paddocks annually, while a pasture renewal programme has had about 30ha resown each year.
After more than six decades, the Macdonald family is now moving onto new ventures and the farm is for sale by international tender, closing November 14 unless sold before.
For more information contact Beaufill on 07 349 5366 or 027 474 8073.
