by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:36 AM ET, Tue October 30, 2018
Instead of visiting a quaint town in New Zealand for your next vacation, why not just buy the whole village?
According to The Guardian, the Lake Waitaki village on New Zealand's south island is now for sale, with an asking price of $1.8 million. The property includes eight three-bedroom homes, nine garages, a bar and a 6,300 square-foot lodge.
The town was constructed in the 1930s to house workers building the Waitaki dam, but the population of the village has dropped since the dam was automated in 1989, with the property now lying dormant.
Lake Waitaki village received historical protected status in 1995 and was sold to current owners in 2011, who planned to turn it into a corporate retreat, but the idea never came to fruition.
Travelers looking to own the town may face some roadblocks, though, as the New Zealand government recently issued a ban on foreign investors purchasing homes. Despite the potential holdups, Lake Waitaki's real estate agent Kelli Milmine believes someone will purchase the village.
Lake Waitaki is just one of the many rural towns being abandoned as locals try to find work. A government survey in 2002 found that 85.7 percent of New Zealand's population lived in urban areas.
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