PHOTO: A private island near Nelson
A private island near Nelson is attracting interest here and overseas, with the possibility the $16 million property could come back into Kiwi hands. “With Pepin, you’ve got the whole thing,” says Sotherby International Realty Sales Associate John Bampfylde. “You’ve got an island that genuinely is a lovely large island, but also its not as though you have to take a boat trip, ferry ride and then a helicopter ride to get to it”. Some, however, have travelled a long way to visit the 520 hectare space, including those playing in a golf tournament dubbed the “most outrageous” in the world. A 1 NEWS report from 1995 captured the colourful game, put on as a fundraiser for the Nelson North Country Club. “It started off about having a canoeing competition around the island, then it led to, ‘Why not play golf around the island?’ And I thought, ‘Well, that’s the most silliest bloody thing I’ve ever heard of’,” Vice President John Taylor told 1 NEWS. The former Pepin Island owner hosted the event for a number of years.