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Apocalypse-fearing billionaires are shipping bunkers to New Zealand

Silicon Valley’s elite are preparing for Armageddon by buying up property in New Zealand.

Seven tech billionaires have so far made apocalyptic investments in the commonwealth country in case they need to flee California.

Fear of nuclear war, violent revolution and pandemics have seen San Francisco’s finest start commissioning multimillion-dollar underground bunkers in New Zealand.

Made by Texas-based bunker manufacturer Rising S Company, the 150-ton bunkers are buried 13 feet underground.

The company’s general manager describes New Zealand as the ideal location to ride out the apocalypse.

Gary Lynch told Bloomberg: “New Zealand is an enemy of no one. It’s not a nuclear target. It’s not a target for war. It’s a place where people seek refuge.”

Their top-of-the-range bunker, “The Aristocrat,” costs $11.5 million excluding the installation fee.

It has a capacity for more than 50 people in varying degrees of luxury and features bulletproof doors, a solar-generated charging system, a swimming poll, bowling lane and gun range, among other luxuries.

Even an ex-Kiwi prime minister has noticed the uptick in interest from wealthy Americans in his country as an escape plan.

John Key, who was New Zealand’s PM from 2008-2016, said: “I’ve had a lot of people say to me that they would like to own a property in New Zealand if the world goes to hell in a handbasket.”

The two most recent 990-square-foot bunkers sent to the nation from the States were each taken on 19 trailers having been split into sections.

One was installed in the North Island of New Zealand while the other was secreted away in the even more sparsely populated South Island.

Paypal co-founder and Facebook billionaire Peter Thiel built a $4.7 million home in Queenstown, New Zealand, complete with a panic room.

His buddy and fellow entrepreneur Sam Altman also let slip that he has plans to catch a flight out there if a pandemic ever hits.

And LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman told The New Yorker last year that “saying you’re ‘buying a house in New Zealand’ is kind of a wink, wink, say no more.”

Other wealthy US entrepreneurs who have bought properties in the country include film director James Cameron and billionaire hedge fund manager Julian Robinson.

A total of 17 Americans took advantage of New Zealand’s Investor Plus Visa – which requires a $10 million investment over 36 months – last year.

But it is believed that the rush of investment from billionaires fearing the worst could have been one of the motivating factors behind a new law banning many foreigners from buying homes.

Fortunately, New Zealand isn’t the only place the super-rich have looked to ride out the End of Days.

Luxurious bolt holes to ride out the nuclear winter have sprung up, or rather burrowed under, across the US and Europe

“Your father or grandfather’s bunker was not very comfortable,” Robert Vicino, the CEO of high-end shelter company Vivos, told CNN.

“They were gray. They were metal, like a ship or something military. And the truth is mankind cannot survive long-term in such a Spartan, bleak environment.”

It may seem like an over-the-top purchase designed for the super-paranoid – but sports stars, hedge fund managers and even tech gurus including Bill Gates are rumored to have invested in bunkers.

But while some want to bunker down alone with their loved ones, other companies have cashed in on our desire to be in a community – and feel closer to the real world, even in the face of disaster.

Missile silos and military bunkers have been transformed into condos and underground villages – complete with movie theaters, swimming pools and leisure areas.

Vivos Xpoint, in South Dakota, is made up of 575 military bunkers – and is being developed to accommodate 5,000 people.

The bomb-proof holiday homes cost between $25,000 and $207,000, while the underground village will include a movie theater, classroom, gardens, doctor’s office, spa and gym.

The company also offers a “modern-day Noah’s Ark” in a former Cold War-era munitions storage facility in Germany, which includes 34 properties sized between 2,500 and 5,000 square feet.

This particular shelter will include a tram network to transport residents to the bunker’s restaurants, coffee shops, pool, movie theater and game rooms.

“We have all the comforts of home, but also the comforts that you expect when you leave your home,” Robert added.

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Carisa Kissane

Update: 2024-05-22