German millionaire inundated with requests to live with him on estate

Karl Reipen, originally from Germany but now living in Awakino, Taranaki. Photo / supplied

Kenyans, Italians, Albanians, Filipinos, Kosovans, Germans, Ukrainians and Bolivians have all applied to live on a reclusive German multi-millionaire's slice of paradise.

But some locals fear Karl Reipen's advertisement looking for 10 "nice people" to join him on his Awakino estate might have been misunderstood.

After writing about the 70-year-old's plight to find some company on his "beautiful farm", the Herald and Awakino locals have been inundated with requests to join him.

Karl Reipen is looking for people to come live with him on his Awakino Estate. Photo / supplied.

Requests have come from as far and wide as Albania and Bolivia.

Among them was a 32-year-old German woman who said in her message to the Herald that it had always been a dream of hers to travel to New Zealand "and get to know the beautiful landscape and wildlife".

Another woman from the Philippines wrote on Reipen's Facebook page that she wanted to move to the estate with her four children and construction worker husband.

"Me and my husband dreamed that someday [we] had a big opportunity to work in Europe but it is a [bit] difficult for us," she said.

But Awakino locals say the ads have been misunderstood.

One man, who didn't want to be named, said he had it on good authority that Reipen actually intended to find people around retirement age to join him as a lifestyle choice.

Reipen, who made his money selling iced coffee, is known around the small town as generous and a "typical German".

"My other understanding is he doesn't want stupid hippies and all that sort there.

"He's looking people 50 to 70-years-old, urbane sort of people who've travelled around the world who have intelligent conversation.

"He wants them to live in his houses and he's going to entertain them and have meals with them and have them be part of the community."

Reipen wasn't "looking for 19-year-olds or crazy hippies who smoke dope and be idiots", the man said.

Instead, the millionaire wanted people who he could talk to about "intellectual, world-travel, business affairs sort of stuff", the man said.

"So he's not looking to run a mickey-mouse dodgy commune."

Another local also believed this to be the case and said there was some suggestion the living arrangement wouldn't be free.

Reipen ran the ad three times in the holiday section of Herald's classified listings, looking for people to join him in "paradise".

He's also posted about it on Facebook and said people had until December 31 to get in touch.

Karl Reipen ran an ad in the Herald and also put a post up on social media.

In his ads in the newspaper, he said he'd been working on the property for the last 10 years and now wants to find 10 people to share it with.

"Now where everything is finished I would like to share the 'paradise' with nice people, up to 10 (women and men).

"They could live in houses by two persons and share a beautiful winery for social meetings and dining," he wrote in the ad.

The farm sits on a 223-hectare property, and features horse stables, a winery and views of the Tasman Sea.

"Awakino Estate", as Reipen has named it, was last valued at $5.6 million.

The invite extends to all adults, men and women, up to 70 years of age. People are welcome to bring their own horses.

"You can enjoy walking, fishing, shopping, kayaking, bird watching, swimming or looking at the nice animals," he says.

"If you are interested to live a life with a Group of Interesting people it can be a new life for You."

The property is located about 90 minutes north of New Plymouth and 90 minutes south of Hamilton.