Marlborough estate could become lifestyle park

The 750ha Castlebrae estate offers a range of breathtaking views. Photo / Supplied

Castlebrae, a large Marlborough sheep, beef and viticultural estate at the mouth of the Awatere River, at the top of the South Island, has been put on the market for the first time in 54 years.

Plans have been drawn up for Castlebrae, which offers breathtaking views and runs through a variety of land forms from river terraces to high hill country to the sea, to be developed into a 25-section lifestyle park.

Partners and brothers Geoff and David Marfell and their wives, Polly and Diane, have decided to sell Castlebrae to allow new owners to decide the future of the property, which also has the potential for vineyard development.

"The family all have different avenues they now want to explore and we have to accept that owning a property like Castlebrae has been a privilege," says Geoff Marfell.

"We hope someone else will pick up the reins and take a long-term view of how [it] can work in the future."

Originally, the property was a relatively modest 120ha block carved off a property called The Castles after World War II. In turn, The Castles was formerly part of Ugbrooke Station, one of the Marlborough region's finest farming estates.

"Our dad bought Castlebrae in 1955 after moving from a 'rehab' block up the Waihopai Valley and we took over from him in the late 1960s," Geoff Marfell says.

The family have added to the property over the years, acquiring about 400ha of neighbouring Vernon Station in 1969 and later a further 160ha which took the property right across to the river where the vineyards are now.

Taking advantage of the Government's Land Development Encouragement Loans of the late 1970s, which were made available to farmers to further develop otherwise unproductive land into pastoral use, the Marfells painstakingly cleared the hill country of scrub, turning it into useable and viable farm land.

Now held in four titles, and with two homesteads, Castlebrae has a total land area of about 750ha.

The Marfell brothers' visionary farming practices have seen the property evolve into a profitable and multi-faceted rural holding with huge future potential still to be tapped.

"We have always seen it as important to shore up several income streams and not be tied to one revenue strand," says David Marfell. "With the irrigation here - including good reticulated water and natural springs - it's a really well-balanced property in terms of what is possible."

Castlebrae runs a conservative 3600 sheep - a mix of a merino fine wool flock with Black Forest bloodlines and an early-lambing Corriedale flock.

With the improved irrigation and the production of hay and baleage for winter feeding, these stocking numbers could easily be increased.

About 48ha is dedicated to cropping, including lucerne, seed, barley and wheat, with peas and corn harvested and processed by Talleys.

A further 19ha was developed into a sauvignon blanc vineyard in 2003 and the Marfells are well down the path of having it accredited as a sustainable vineyard with full compliance expected next year. The grapes are contracted to Oyster Bay wines and a further 141ha of Castlebrae, a mix of flat and hill country, has been identified as possible vineyard land.

"We have always shared the property with family and friends, who regularly holiday at Castlebrae with their tents and mountain bikes and several young couples have been married here," says Geoff Marfell.

"But we'd like to think that in time, by opening up the land to carefully managed development as a lifestyle park, many other families will be able to build memories here at Castlebrae."

The recreational opportunities focus on hunting and fishing - whitebait, trout, deer and birds.

Marketing agent Glenn Dick of Bayleys Marlborough says photographs of the property have already drawn in several keen prospects.

"It's the type of property that would seduce an international buyer due to its idyllic location and sensational views. With the recent streamlining of Overseas Investment Office procedures, international buyers could feel quite buoyant about their chances of acquiring New Zealand coastal land such as this."