Samuel Whitelock made his mark on the rugby field with 153 All Black test matches to his credit, including 18 as captain.

In his later years in the game, the All Black great also found time to support the farming sector as the Farmstrong Ambassador and to purchase Riverbank Station, an 833-hectare breeding and finishing property near Rissington, 27 kilometres west of Napier Airport.

However, with an exciting opportunity ahead for Samuel and his wife Hannah on a family farm, the time has come to find a new owner for their beloved Hawke’s Bay property.

Tenders are called for Riverbank Station by 4pm, Wednesday 12th November, 2025, unless it is sold prior.

Bayleys Hawke’s Bay rural specialist Tony Rasmussen says it would be difficult to find another well-located, breeding-finishing property in Hawke’s Bay that matches Riverbank Station’s combined scale and contour. They rarely come to the market, he says.

Rasmussen expects the consent in place to irrigate 45 hectares using water from a substantial storage dam will also be a massive drawcard for buyers.

Water from the dam could be gravity-fed to an irrigator, allowing new owners to realise even more of the overall potential by growing crops such as maize on contract for nearby dairy farmers, or maintaining more consistent production from pasture or forage crops.

“Soils are mostly free draining, suitable for finishing big cattle and the farm has a solid fertiliser history which is evident in the soil test results,” he says.

Over the past few years, Whitelock has overseen a big investment in tidying up existing infrastructure and adding new improvements.

“More than 40 kilometres of conventional fencing has been completed, including boundary and laneway fences to improve stock movement; they have tidied up an existing cattle yard and added an impressive new set of steel cattle yards at the top of the farm.”

Rasmussen says the new sheepyards at the woolshed are exceedingly well built.

“Pastures are in good order thanks to a regular re-grassing programme which starts with about 30 hectares going through a kale crop each year.

“A lot of the work has been done and it’s ready for new owners to take it to the next level,” he says.

The property has six kilometres of frontage to Puketitiri Road, providing excellent access through to a network of tracks and laneways that streamline stock movement.

On-farm red metal pits support track and gateway maintenance, while laneway systems provide for excellent stock movement. The farm has large areas of flat and easy tractor country which ensures high levels of pasture production.

“A lot of the land lies to the east; therefore, it is sheltered from the southerly and westerly winds and benefits from good exposure to the early morning sun,” Rasmussen says.

There are three homes plus a shearers’ quarters.

The main homestead was originally built in the 1890s and is a well-maintained character home featuring native timbers, sited on a terrace overlooking the Mangaone River. The layout features four large bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open plan farm kitchen and dining area, a separate lounge and dining room.

A modern five-bedroom manager’s home is centrally located while a tidy stock manager’s residence and shearers’ quarters are near the woolshed at the bottom end of the property.

“There is great opportunity for new owners to develop a glamping or similar type of accommodation business alongside the farming enterprise and capitalise on the appeal of the Mangaone River for its trout fishing, or as a base to access the nearby hills and ranges for deer stalking too.”

“This is truly a trophy farm that has seen significant capital investment that the new owners will reap the rewards of. Plus, it’s all in close proximity to Napier city and its amenities,” he says.