Have you ever looked at society and just thought ‘I could definitely do a better job of making this work’? You can now make your dreams a reality because there is an entire town up for sale in New Zealand and it’s ripe for you to get running!
Lake Waitaki Village is on New Zealand’s South Island, roughly halfway between Christchurch and Dunedin, and is currently on the market for a chunky $2.8 million NZD (around $1.8 million USD). According to the listing, this isolated 14.27 hectare property boasts eight three bedroom houses, nine garages, a cafe/bar and a 585 square metre lodge that’s recently been refurbished. Plus, there’s also an owners accommodation, a reception area, billiards room, and formal lounge.
Besides the entire village being ready and waiting for you to pluck it off the market, the location of the property is what really tickles our fancy. There are no neighbours (a huge bonus for private introverts), the nearest town (Oamaru) is a 50-minute drive away, it’s serenely nestled amongst the mountains on the lake’s edge and is close to many ski fields. The view is, in short, incredible.
Now for the brief history lesson. Lake Waitaki Village was originally built in the 1930s while the Waitaki dam was being built. In 1989, when the dam became automated, folks moved on and out to cities which meant the town laid dormant except for tourists until you move in, of course. In 1995, Lake Waitaki Village was granted heritage status to avoid it being demolished, but it still needs a new owner to turn it into the hot spot it deserves to be. The New Zealand government has been encouraging people to get out of metro areas and breathe new life into the almost-forgotten settlements around the island, which brings us to today.
Fans of the Sims will know how tempting it is to design an entire neighbourhood from scratch, but just like the Sims, this town is unoccupied, so you’ll also have to convince your friends to come live here with you. It really is a place to make dreams come true though. You could turn it into a yoga retreat, or a dessert-lovers theme park, or even a zero-waste society.
The only other catch (if you want to call it that) is that you have to be a New Zealand resident and spend 183 days per year in the country. Which, if you ask us, doesn’t sound too terrible considering how stunning NZ is. Now we just to come up with $2.8 million…
You can check out the listing here if you’re in the market for a town and think this could be the one.
