Allan Dippie is the mastermind behind a lot of Wānaka’s development including Three Parks, but he was once a humble landscaper with a single tractor.
This fostered a meaningful love for tractors and inspired Mr Dippie to start a collection in 2017.
"I was just a one-man business and the only machine I had was a single tractor," he said.
"So, I always have loved tractors because that’s what started me off."
He started with one and before he knew it, they were in the double digits and now in the triple digits, with well over 300 tractors housed at Central Machine Hire on Ballantyne Rd.
Although the collection does include a few trucks and classic cars, tractors are the main focus.
The machines have also served as the backbone of Wheels at Wānaka which had its last run this Easter, attracting thousands of people from across the country.
However, the collection soon began to get out of control, resulting in a second shed being built and many members of the public trying to sneak a peek.
"Some have doubled up because we’ve bought other people’s collections ... so that’s why some of these have become available for other people."
There are 116 tractors up for auction and once they are sold, the collection will comprise between 250 and 300.
Mr Dippie’s years of collecting took him all over the world, to Scotland, Ireland, Australia and the United States where many of his tractors originated.
"It was a stupid idea because collecting stamps would be a lot easier than collecting tractors but anyway, it turned out good."
The auction went live online two weeks ago and Mr Dippie said a lot of the interest they received was from those who attended Wheels at Wānaka and took an interest in the tractors.
After selling some of his tractors Mr Dippie said he was not looking to rush into any new purchases.
"I’ve got to slow my collecting down. It takes a pretty special tractor now for me to include it in the collection."
The live auction will be on October 11, where the sheds will be open for the public to take a look and place their final bids.
