Fred Bramwell

Meeting challenges is nothing new to former international swimmer Fred.

After a brief period shepherding in his native East Cape, his talent was recognised and he spent the next few years representing his country in pools around the world. And he stayed with the water when he first came to Queenstown at the tender age of 30..

Rafting was one of the town's signature businesses in those days and Fred was in the thick of it. After qualifying as a raft guide and building up an enviable reputation for his skills, he decided there was room in the marketplace for a specialist..

Together with a business partner he started Extreme Green Rafting, a company that made him a major player on the region's booming tourism stage. Selling trips to hordes of happy customers wasn't enough for him though and he developed an arm of the company that made him a sought after commodity in Hollywood..

Once the international film world discovered New Zealand and its rugged waterways, they realised a safety expert who knew the area was something they just couldn't do without. In stepped Fred and his business partner and pretty soon his client list included blue chip names like Lord of the Rings and a host of other film productions..

But he hadn't been idle on other fronts either. Since first arriving in the town he'd been taking an interest in the property market, steadily building up a portfolio. "It's a fascinating business and Queenstown is unique in its investment opportunities. It has been for years, it still is, and I don't see anything to change that for some time to come," says Fred..

Once he'd sold his interest in the rafting company he was thinking about relaxing for a while and enjoying the fruits of his labours, but it wasn't to be. "Brendan and Warren approached me to join hoamz (known as Southern Lakes Real Estate at the time) and to be perfectly honest I resisted quite strongly. I had no interest in being a real estate agent, I had a lot of preconceptions," he says..

He hadn't counted on the company philosophy though. "After we'd met a few times I realised they were building something new, something which didn't fit with the picture I had. Now I'm here I'm really enjoying it. I enjoy property and I enjoy people..

Plus, there's a genuine team spirit here and I love the chance to get out and help not only our clients, but the rest of the team as well. That may sound like a PR statement but I promise you it's not. That's not the sort of bloke I am. Our job is all about providing a service and for my money, nobody does it better..

Testimonial

Name: M Wikstrom

I dealt with a few companies and yours stood out head and shoulders above the rest! Fred and Simon were great to deal with – no rubbish and no fancy talk – can’t be bothered with that. Good down to earth, professional service.

Testimonial

Name: J Page

Such a very big heartfelt thank you to you and all the team. As I’ve said before, you are by far, the best property team I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with.
With a strong desire to sell behind us and a massively proactive team such as yours enabling us to realise the financial potential of the Queenstown property we are now in a position where Phil has life options that were previously less available to him.
The adventure has just begun......