Millionaire Invites People To Come Live On His ‘Paradise’ Island Under One Weird Condition

Karl Reipen is from Germany, and he also happens to have millions of dollars in his bank account. Though wealthy now, he started off in more humble beginnings, working on farms as a child. Inviting folks to live on his island was more inspired by his past.

Because Karl was a business-minded farm boy, he put his ingenuity to work as soon as he could. He ended up building an iced coffee empire, and made his entire fortune off of that clever venture. A few decades later, he made a big purchase.

Back at the beginning of the millennium, Karl was simply taking a scenic vacation to the beautiful nation of New Zealand. However, after spending two weeks there, he fell in love with the place.

It was then he acquired the lavish property that would eventually cause his name to be swept across headlines around the world. At the time, however, he had no idea about any of that.

The property didn’t arrive in his hands in flawless condition, though. On the contrary, Karl had to spend an entire decade renovating it and perfecting the land so that it would be as close to paradise as possible. His work definitely paid off.

Finally, nearly two decades later, Karl Reipen finally revealed his true plans for the idyllic island. It certainly wasn’t what anyone expected, and the ideas were so eccentric that they put his name on the international radar.

The business mogul put ads in local newspapers stating, to the shock of everyone, that a select few people would be permitted to come and live on his Awakino Estate — for free. Some people assumed there had to be some catch.

The advertisement he placed was intriguingly vague, if not a bit ominous. He offered people the chance for a “new life,” and the opportunity to live alongside interesting individuals in a beautiful place. Activities were abound.

In the newspaper ad Karl put out, he enumerated the many entertaining activities guests would be entitled to, saying ”you can enjoy walking, fishing, shopping, kayaking, bird-watching, swimming, or looking at the nice animals.”

In addition to all of these luxurious pursuits, those who came to live at Awakino would enjoy a great number of amenities including a full winery, indoor stables for horse-lovers, and beautiful views of the coastline. However, when something seems too good to be true, it often is.

Naturally Karl received a flood of eager responses to his announcement, but it soon was revealed that his request wasn’t quite as inclusive as was first believed.

Locals of the New Zealand town with intimate knowledge of Mr. Reipen and the situation described him as a very generous man, but insisted that a misunderstanding had occurred: he’d only wanted people nearing retirement to apply. But why?

“My other understanding is he doesn’t want stupid hippies and all that sort there,” one local said rather crudely. “He’s looking people 50 to 70-years-old, urbane sort of people who’ve travelled around the world who have intelligent conversation.”

The unnamed local went on to explain what Reipen truly wanted out of the situation, saying “he wants them to live in his houses and he’s going to entertain them and have meals with them and have them be part of the community.”

The truth was that Karl simply wanted company. He had spent the last twenty years living in isolation on the island, and he was beginning to feel lonely. He wanted ten people under 70 he felt he could relate to.

People from all across the globe — hailing from countries including Kenya, Italy, and Albania — were disappointed, as they had been hopeful they’d get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live there. Those denied even spoke out.

One such ineligible person was a 32 year-old German woman who stated in her application that she’d always had dreams of exploring New Zealand and hoped to “get to know the beautiful landscape and wildlife.”

Another rejected application came from a Filipino woman who wished to move to Awakino with her husband, a construction worker, and their four children. Unfortunately, a young family just wasn’t what Reipen was looking for. In 2008, he made headlines again.

Then, he made the news due to the strange circumstances surrounding the sale of another estate in Taranki, New Zealand. Once he had purchased the extravagant property for one million New Zealand dollars, he put time and money into making it even more luxurious. And then?

After fixing up the property, he sold it and gave all of the proceeds to charity. People were in awe at his generosity.