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There is now only faded memories of pupils slipping behind Bluff’s Konini School bike sheds for a sneaky puff or noisily playing bullrush on the field.
The school, which opened in 1968, once teeming with the energy of youth, was now empty and for sale.
Real Estate South salesman Doug Bath said the 2.42ha school site, which had been up for tender, offered a new owner ‘‘the change of a lifetime’’, and was now on the open market.
There had been multiple site visits to the property by both out-of-town and overseas investors.
The site was ripe for development, but he accepted it was also a timing thing.
‘‘There’s so many different things you can potentially do down there.’’
School rooms remained trapped in time with writing still on the blackboards, but the formal dental clinic had been developed into a one-bedroom unit.
The classroom structures had also been re-roofed.
He believed whoever bought the property would develop something that would meet the growth experienced by the township in sporting, tourism and industrial areas.
Bluff Community Board chairman Ray Fife said he believed the school site had a mountain of potential — especially with its sea views of Bluff Harbour.
The township was growing and there were limited sections available for development.
It had the right scope for a retirement home development that would allow life-long Bluff residents to stay within the community, close to family and friends.
The rugby paddock had a sandy base, which made the land dry, he said.
He expected any new development would be potentially connected to Bluff’s flourishing aquaculture industry.
- By Toni McDonald