\u201cWe have decided to support filming and tourism.\u201d <\/p>\n
Arcadia Station, on the shores of Diamond Lake near Glenorchy, was used as a location for Sir Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Photo: Nick Gregory \/ RE\/MAX Queenstown<\/p>\n
The shift brings an abrupt end to the station\u2019s long-running pastoral operation, with hundreds of Simmental cattle and more than 1800 Perendale sheep dispersed. The stock lines were built up over decades and, in some cases, generations.<\/p>\n
The entire herd was sold at dispersal, stock agent Kevin Smith told the Herald, with all cattle and sheep cleared.<\/p>\n
For former owner Jim Veint, whose family bought the property in 1951, the sale represents the end of an era.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen my cattle, sheep and horses developed over a lifetime. <\/p>\n
\u201cThose bloodlines don\u2019t just come back once they\u2019re gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Edney said removing livestock was about practicality as much as strategy. <\/p>\n
Film crews required certainty – controlled landscapes, predictable conditions, and minimal disruption – something that was difficult to guarantee on a working farm.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reality is that, when a film crew comes in, they need consistency. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey need control over the environment, and that\u2019s difficult to achieve with active farming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf, once described the station as “heaven on Earth”. Image \/ File<\/p>\n
He said the decision also reflected where the property\u2019s long-term value lay.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about using the land in a way that makes the most sense economically. Film and tourism are where the value is for this property.\u201d <\/p>\n
Set across 257 hectares on the edge of the Dart River and bordered by Diamond Lake and Mt Aspiring National Park, Arcadia has long straddled two identities: a working high-country station and a globally recognised film location. <\/p>\n
In recent years, Edney said, the balance had tipped decisively towards the latter.<\/p>\n
The property includes a stately homestead built in 1905, with 11 bedrooms, a four-bedroom shepherd\u2019s cottage, a four-stand woolshed, two large hay sheds, and sheep and cattle yards.<\/p>\n
It also has significant development consents attached, including 11 consented residential sections and four consented lifestyle sections, with approximately 21 hectares zoned for rural visitor accommodation and tourism development.<\/p>\n
The station features about 1.4km of frontage to Diamond Lake and roughly 1km along the Dart River.<\/p>\n
Owner Tim Edney confirmed all livestock were sold at auction on March 31, a move he said was necessary to meet the demands of operating a high-use filming location. Photo \/ Peter de Graaf<\/p>\n
Gandalf actor Sir Ian McKellen once described the farm as his favourite place on earth.<\/p>\n
Publicity around the 2020 sale, when Edney bought it from Veint, indicated the property was being marketed in the $15 million-$20m range.<\/p>\n
Edney said filming activity remained ongoing at the station, but declined to comment on specific productions.<\/p>\n
When asked about potential links to recently announced Lord of the Rings film productions<\/a>, Edney said he was under a confidentiality agreement.<\/p>\n Veint began working on Arcadia as a teenager and went on to develop a large-scale breeding operation across cattle, sheep and horses.<\/p>\n He said the farm\u2019s livestock represented decades of selective breeding and careful management.<\/p>\n The removal of the livestock represented a major shift in the property\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was always a working station. That\u2019s what it was built on.\u201d <\/p>\n He said farming helped to maintain the landscape that later attracted film productions and visitors.<\/p>\n \u201cThe animals were part of the scenery. They helped shape the place as people know it.\u201d<\/p>\n Arcadia Station and the surrounding Paradise area have long been used as film locations, hosting a range of domestic and international productions.<\/p>\n Edney said its appeal was largely its alpine backdrop, open grasslands and relative accessibility compared to more remote conservation land – and that the station\u2019s film credentials were central to its future.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s already an established filming location. We\u2019re building on that.\u201d<\/p>\n Veint was concerned about the long-term implications of removing livestock, particularly in relation to land management and the preservation of the station\u2019s character.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are practical aspects to having stock on the land. <\/p>\n \u201cThey help with weed control and maintaining pasture.\u201d<\/p>\n He also said he would have preferred to see farming continue alongside filming.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be one or the other. The two can work together if managed properly.\u201d<\/p>\n Edney, however, said the shift reflected a clear strategic direction.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t run a working farm and a high-volume filming operation at the same time without compromise … This approach avoids that conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n Tourism and screen production in the Queenstown Lakes region have been increasingly important economic drivers, with the region\u2019s commitment to the industry ramping up in recent years.<\/p>\n Last year, actor Brad Pitt was spotted filming a project in Glenorchy,<\/a> while British actor Tom Hiddleston was also known to be working in the area.<\/p>\nThe property includes a stately 1905-built homestead with 11 bedrooms, a four-bedroom shepherd\u2019s cottage, a four-stand woolshed, two large hay sheds, and sheep and cattle yards. Photo \/ File<\/p>\n
The station is one of New Zealand’s best-known movie locations. Photo \/ File<\/p>\n
Brad Pitt was spotted filming in Queenstown last year. Photo \/ George Heard<\/p>\n