A large harbourside chunk of former farmland bought over a handshake at the local pub by a truckie who stopped in at the bar for a quick pint is for sale.
The 40 hectare lifestyle block of land at Paparoa on the northern shores of the Kaipara Harbour just north of Auckland was bought by trucking firm owner Howard Smith in 1973.
Mr Smith, who at the time was operating a trucking firm in the Waikato township of Morrinsville, was making a delivery to Northland when he stopped into the Paparoa Hotel for a pie and a pint, according to Bayleys Realty Group which is marketing the property.
During banter with local Paparoa farmer Alan Tee in the bar, Mr Smith was offered a 100 hectare dairy farm for a price which proverbially sounded "too good to be true".
However, after Howard Smith finished lunch he took a detour from the scheduled delivery route and visited Alan Tee's property before later returning to the Paparoa Hotel and settling the deal with a handshake over another beer.