Friday, January 30, 2015

The Financial Elite's Boltholes

Convenient: Your own personal airstrip means you can fly in, or out, with the minimum of fuss - and all for just $NZ850,000, about £410,000

Earlier this week, I cited to an article claiming that super-rich hedge fund managers were buying up "bolt holes" in New Zealand in the event of social disorder. New Zealand is rated as the world's third safest country after Iceland and Denmark. The Daily Mail takes a look at some of these "bolt holes" that are for sale, including lots of photos, of course. The article relates:
New Zealand, which is about the size of the UK, but has a population of just 4.4million, offers them all the modern luxuries they have come to expect - but miles from any country which may implode into chaos. 
The country is 11,658 miles away from the UK, while its closest neighbour is Fiji - 1,612 miles away, more than double the distance between Lands End and John O'Groats.  
Homes at the top end of the market come with tennis courts, swimming pools and media rooms - and some even boast their own personal jetties where a family can moor their boat.
The article also reports:
Already, several billionaires have bought themselves homes in New Zealand. 
Russian industrial magnate Alexander Abramov, who lives in Moscow, has transformed a farm in Helena Bay, two-and-a-half hours north of Auckland, sparing no expense to build five homes on the land.   
The entire project - which included a warren of underground passages, to be used by staff, and its own power station in case of cuts - is thought to have cost £24million, according the New Zealand Herald. 
But he isn't planning on living there full time. Instead, two of the homes will be used as a luxury resort, with visitors about to travel to it by helicopter. 
American billionaire William Foley is one of several who have snapped up vineyards, buying Te Kairanga, in Martinborough, in 2011. 
Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel also has property in the country, as does Tony Malkin, whose family's property portfolio includes the Empire State Building.

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