Whitebait baches soar in price

GREYMOUTH - Whitebait baches and stands are fetching record prices, apparently piggy backing on the West Coast real estate boom.

The new season opens tomorrow on the West Coast but those chasing a stand on the river bank will need a big wallet.

One tiny bach on the Wanganui River, near Harihari, is listed on the on-line auction Trade Me for $150,000. The whitebait stand is an optional extra.

Another stand on the same river is listed at $25,000.

Long-time Haast resident Kerry Eggeling said prices began rising about a decade ago, but before that the stands could not be given away.

"One sold here recently for $46,000 on the Waiatoto (River).

"It wasn't even a front stand, it was 10 or 12 back. Some can go for a lot more, if they're a front stand."

He said it seemed people were chasing a lifestyle, rather than money-making catches.

"If you put the money [you'd spend on a stand] in the bank and spent the interest every year on whitebait, you'd eat more than you could catch with your stand."

- NZPA