Number 7 Clifton Road at Haumoana, Hawke's Bay, on the country's North Island, is up for auction with a reserve of just NZ$1 (93 Australian cents).
Architect Andy Coltart has owned the property and another one nearby for more than five years and had harboured aspirations of one day starting a seaside restaurant, but after years of dreaming he has come to the sad realisation that the plan won't pass the "sanity test".
This land block on New Zealand's North Island, is up for auction with a reserve of just NZ$1 (93 Australian cents). (Stuff) (Supplied)In short, the odds of getting all the various permits and consents required to get his dream off the ground were too slim to make it worthwhile. So, he's selling the 736sqm block of gravel in the hope that someone might see its potential and make use of it.
"It's a brilliant site. The best idea would be to deck it, put your caravan on it, fish off the deck and and have the best time of your life. There's an old septic tank on the site you could resurrect, there's power and water right to the boundary ... I reckon a group of mates will buy it," he said.
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"It's gorgeous out there, I tell you," he said.
"We have more coastline than the United States of America in this country and you're hardly allowed to touch any of it. I thought I'd grab these sites and a little restaurant out there would go gangbusters."
Achitect Andy Coltart had owned the property and another nearby for more than five years. (Stuff) (Supplied)"I had a friend involved and after I got all the drawings done, sorted the septic [system], and everything else, we gave it the sanity test and it just didn't pass," he said.
Until a few years ago the remains of a storm-wrecked small house was still on the site.
The property is being sold by Bayleys, which is pitching it as the "the opportunity of a lifetime!"
"Own a unique slice of paradise with our exclusive beachfront land auction. This extraordinary property extends seamlessly from the shore, and once had a house on site," the advertisement says.
It notes: "the seafront half of the land is now part of the sea, however a sturdy concrete wall contains a near flat site at the rear, offering an unparalleled coastal experience", and advises that its within a coastal hazard zone, meaning it comes with a building restriction.
The section when it still had a small house on it. (Rene Fisch) (Supplied)"Fish off the site. Buy with your mates. The dream of beachfront, is finally within reach, with views to Cape Kidnappers, Napier and over to Mahia Peninsula" the ad says.
"Located opposite is the popular Brown Dog Espresso, the Haumoana Four Square, a busy Fish & Chip Shop and the iconic Gannets Bar, you simply have to cross the road for food and entertainment. With wineries down the road in Te Awanga, bike trails, and a surf break on your back door, this is as good a chance as you'll ever get to go beachfront," it says.
The auction will be held at the site on February 9. It will not be sold prior.
