The owner of Glenorchy\u2019s stunning Arcadia Station has sold off all its sheep and cattle to put all its eggs into film and tourism.<\/p>\n
Thousands of specially-bred Simmental cattle and 1800-plus Perendale sheep were sold at auction last week to farms throughout the South Island.<\/p>\n
The 257-hectare station, bordering Diamond Lake and Mt Aspiring National Park, has been a popular location for many film shoots including\u00a0The Lord of the Rings\u00a0as well as countless TV commercials.<\/p>\n
Owner Tim Edney tells\u00a0The New Zealand Herald\u00a0\u2018\u2018it\u2019s about using the land in a way that makes the most sense economically\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Film and tourism are where the value is for this property.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Film crews required minimum disruption, and that\u2019s difficult to guarantee on a working farm, he says.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018You\u2019re either supporting filming, or you\u2019re not.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Former owner Jim Veint, whose family bought the farm in 1951, tells the\u00a0Herald\u00a0he\u2019d seen his cattle, sheep and horses develop over a lifetime.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Those bloodlines don\u2019t just come back once they\u2019re gone.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
He preferred to see farming and filming co-exist \u2014 \u2018\u2018the two can work together if managed properly\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018The animals were part of the scenery, they helped shape the place as people know it.\u2019\u2019 They also helped with weed control and maintaining pasture, Veint adds.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Seeing it move away from farming is hard to accept, but that\u2019s the way it\u2019s gone.\u2019\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n