Astonishing property in New Zealand

I hope and think I am not violating any forum terms with this post - think of it more as a newsworthy item that might just be of interest to someone.

Saw this article in this afternoon's NZ Herald. The South Island's Mt. White station is an iconic piece of Kiwi geography and history. Jenny and I were privileged to be shown it by the owners a year ago - they beseeched us to lend them any ideas for turning it into the kind of tourism accommodation that we have in AK but, in the end, the family now has decided to put it on the block. It should be of no surprise to anyone that there are family dynamics that don't come up in this kind of newspaper article, but pretty much doomed the situation from the get-go.

Here is the link for the article: Tenders close soon for Canterbury's Mt White station - Property - NZ Herald News

If anyone is truly interested, we would be happy to share what we know. It is a ​staggering ​ piece of land.

Not the Dempster - in YT I've never been north of Dawson City.

South Island NZ is very much like Alaska in scenery: great fjords, soaring mountains, broad vistas. But little in the way of endemic wildlife and, other than great white sharks, nothing that will eat you, unless you count the sand flies. Hugely affected by non-native flora and fauna in a way the boreal forest is not. I've a very, very soft spot for NZ because way way back as an undergraduate (three or four years ago, I'd say), I spent some very formative time on another monstrous station, the now-gone Waipaoa, which at that time was the largest such on the North Island.

And also my favorite sister married my favorite, and Kiwi, brother-in-law.....

You can't really see it from the road, other than "all that land over yonder", but everyone in the region certainly can point you to which bridge over the Waimak is where you turn to get towards it. Then, you drive, and drive, and drive.....

But I'm sure Google's your friend and all that.


By the way, as Gene correctly pointed out and I also wrote earlier, between the invasive Maori and their rats and dogs, and the invasive Pakeha and their every other type of creature, the native fauna have had a rough time of it. But for any tourists heading esp. to the S. Island: if you're interested in great sites for native fauna, PM me (And yes, I do know there are real New Zealanders frequenting this forum who know much more than I!).