$1 tractor and farm auction due to close

They have been "hanging on" for a week but the couple who put a tractor up for auction with a $1 reserve, with a farm thrown in for free, have just over two days to wait to see how much their gamble will be worth.

Gore-based couple Shelley and Allan Holland admitted a rush of blood to the head saw them list their farm property, valued at $260,000, on the back of a tractor sale on Trade Me on Thursday night last week.

The old red tractor was listed on a $1 reserve, with an 8.1 hectare farm in the Catlins thrown in for nothing.

Bidding had plateaued at $233,232 this morning after shooting up to $230,000 in the first four days.

"It's close to what it's worth so you would expect the bids to slow down. It's not quite what we were asking for but at the end of the day it's a long way from $1," Mr Holland said.

There had been 358 bids, 8322 watchers, and 238,890 views.

"Tana Umaga's handbag" attracted about two million views and the next most popular was a satellite for sale with 231,000 views, Mr Holland said.

"I don't expect to knock Tana off his perch."

The auction closes at 10.30pm on Sunday and Mr Holland said there could be a bit more bidding before close.

He admitted it had been a long week. On the Friday morning the bidding was at just $1.50 until a radio station got hold of the story.

"Once the bidding got into the high $100,000s it took a bit of the pressure off.

"It grew a life of its own and we have been hanging on."

Mrs Holland had spent a lot of time answering screeds of inquiries from interested people and Mr Holland admitted that a lot of work wasn't being done around the farm.

"It's just gone places we didn't expect it to go to. I don't know how many radio interviews I have done. I have to keep my head down around town, I am getting a bit of stick."

Mr Holland said that as a way of saying thanks for all the interest, $10,000 of the sale would go to charity, including $1000 to a young boy named Ollie, who needs medical treatment in the United States.

Ollie's condition came up in the question and answer session on the sale website.

Mr Holland said he and his wife were taking the chance to travel while they still could. They had already booked a one-way ticket to Melbourne and then Cairns, "and from there, we'll see".

The tractor with a free farm offer has already spawned one copycat.

Trade Me now also lists a 2ha South Canterbury property attached to the auction of a tractor with a $1 reserve. Bidding had reached $30,100 this morning.

- NZPA