Beef cattle buyers got out their wallets in Haast on Thursday last week in one of the biggest spend-ups at a South Island stock sale this year.
Haast resident Trisha Nolan said the prices paid for cattle were "unbelievable".
The top prices soared over $1000, with the top pen selling for $1180 per beast.
Weaner prices were as high as prices previously expected for a yearling, she said.
"Who knows why? My theory is the outsiders, the non-New Zealanders who own big farms, it was their money... It was unbelievable. You should have seen people's faces," Mrs Nolan said.
PGG Wrightson Central Otago livestock manager John Duffy, of Alexandra, said he was stunned by the prices.
"It was a very buoyant market, very strong market. There was a total yarding of 800 very good, well-bred, straight beef cattle, which was a big selling point because of a lot of sales these days are drawing dairy half-breeds and crosses. And in the whole South Island, there is a big demand for cattle."
Haast specialises in beef cattle and farmers focus on buying good bulls and growing fat cattle, producing straight beef breeds, such as Hereford, Angus or Devons, Mr Duffy said.
"They are genuine cattle people, very proud of their herds. They only get one chance a year to make an income. They have got to give quality to get a good price," he said.
The buyers were not necessarily foreign-owned corporations. Many were "normal repeat buyers" from Central Otago, Mr Duffy said.
"A lot of them will go to the Maniototo. There's a lot of grass there at the moment. Some went as far north as Nelson. There were also buyers from Invercargill - a good cross-section."
The "star lots" were sold by Arawhata Cattle Company (John and Kathy Nolan), Glacier Horned Herefords (Wayne and Margaret Williams), Michael and Eunice Sullivan, James Scott and Robert and David Scott, and John Cowan, Mr Duffy said.
Arawhata Cattle Company sold the top lots of Hereford steers ($1180), South Devon cross steers ($1180), Angus cross steers ($1150), and South Devon cross heifers ($920).
Glacier Horned Herefords sold Hereford steers for $1140, Angus cross steers for $1130, Hereford heifers for $990 and Angus cross heifers for $990.
James Scott fetched $940 for two-year-old Hereford heifers in calf. John Cowan's top Angus heifers fetched $870 and Robert and David Scott sold Angus steers for $1070.
