That's the spirit! VODKA TYCOONS' LIFE IN THE WILD

The cityslickers’ shot at life in the high country is not for the faint-hearted

- Catherine Milford

Justine and Geoff Ross are experts in thinking differently. In 1999 – when there were few New Zealand spirits on the market – they created premium vodka brand 42 Below from Geoff’s garage.

The idea was such a success, the company was bought by drinks giant Bacardi in 2006 for $132 million. So, in 2017, when Geoff, 55, mentioned he was keen on buying a 6500-hectare farm in the Southern Alps that the pair had casually looked at, Justine says she should have known it wasn’t just a vague concept.

“Geoff has this wonderful ability to lull me into thinking something’s not going to happen, while all the while determining that it will – and I always believe him!” laughs Justine, 54, who says she felt like a “Stepford wife” when she realised her husband was serious about leaving their comfortable Auckland home, relocating the family – including their two boys, Finn, then 18, and Gabriel, 14 – to the remote mountains of the South Island.

The entrepreneurs had been fighting a desire to change their Auckland lifestyle for a while.