The wealthiest 1% have got their sights set on luxury properties in remote locations. Forget London and New York, when the apocalypse comes the savvy super-rich will be holed up in New Zealand. According to doomsday bunker company Rising S Bunkers, seven Silicon Valley entrepreneurs have bought luxury units to install in the country in the past few years. 

New Zealand’s South Island has become something of an unusual billionaires' row, with an increasing number of the tech execs, hedge fund managers and other uber-wealthy types buying up plots and properties on the other side of the world. In a bid to curb these purchases, which were pushing house prices up, the New Zealand government passed a law in August 2018 banning foreign buyers from snapping up homes in the country.

The richest preppers won't be deterred by the new law, though. Attracted by the remoteness of this resource-rich country, many are seeking new ways to purchase property in its rural idylls. According to Bloomberg, 17 Americans used New Zealand's Investor Plus Visa scheme in 2017 alone, which awards residency to anyone who invests NZ$10 million ($6m/£4.8m) over the course of three years.

Underground and emergency bunkers are big business and Rising S Bunkers prides itself on being one of the best in the industry. Demand for high-security, apocalypse-proof homes is only rising as political tensions mount and unprecedented epidemics sweep across the world. Gary Lynch, the company's general manager, said a number of their wealthiest clients had snapped up models bound for New Zealand.

The company also provides added extras such as whole-home air filtration systems for their luxury bunkers. Offering 'peace of mind in uncertain times', the NBC Air Filtration systems stop the spread of deadly viruses, with prices starting from £31,000 ($39k). For more opulent features fit for a billionaire, the company can also install everything from pool tables to supercar garages.

In 2018, Morgan listed eight private lots for sale at Hillend Station, naming them the Hillend Estates. Varying in size from three and a half to nearly five and a half acres, one lot is still on the market for NZ$895,000 ($544k/£436k). With gated access and fully-fenced grounds, the plots are ideal for those looking for security and serenity in New Zealand. 

But perhaps the greatest signal of New Zealand’s increasing reputation is the influence of billionaire Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal. Back in 2011, he said: “I am happy to say categorically that I have found no other country that aligns more with my view of the future than New Zealand.”

In June 2011, Thiel was awarded citizenship after spending only 12 days in New Zealand, bypassing the usual residency rules that require candidates to live in the country for a number of years. He then purchased a four-bedroom home in Queenstown in the region of Otago for NZ$4.8 million ($2.9m/£2.3m). After a significant fire in 2017, he repurposed a walk-in closet as a luxury panic room, an essential for any billionaire prepper.

In 2015, he increased his portfolio in Otago and bought a 477-acre block at Damper Bay on the shores of Lake Wanaka, famed as a filming location for The Lord of the Rings, for NZ$13.5 million ($8.2m/£6.6m). While Thiel has revealed little about the parcel of land, it's likely to be similar to this lakeside property which sold in the area in June 2019. Definitely nothing like a hobbit home! 

However, the land Thiel purchased was previously the site of controversy. New Zealand’s national hiking trail, the Te Araroa trail, runs alongside the lake boundary of Thiel’s property. According to The Guardian, the Upper Clutha Environmental Society was concerned the region would be spoilt by garish mansions and succeeded in reducing the number of parcels on offer from six to one – which Thiel then went on to purchase.

Moving away from New Zealand, the billionaire co-founder of Oracle, Larry Ellison, bought the majority of the island of Lanai in remote (and safe) Hawaii in 2012. Ellison dropped £240 million ($300m) on 98% of the island, including two Four Seasons hotel resorts and 90,000 acres of land – plus a town of 3,200 residents.

Naturally, there's a golf course, holistic wellness spas and nine restaurants to keep the super-rich entertained during a difficult time. Ellison also has plans to build a sustainable ecosystem that will eventually lead to a 100% green, self-sufficient island – the ideal hideout for laying low in the event of a global crisis.

American co-founder Jim Rohrstaff, who moved to New Zealand a few years ago, described the benefits of the prestigious property's remoteness to The New Yorker: “From the outside, you won’t see anything. That’s better for the public and better for us, for privacy.”

Situated on the North Island, Tara Iti is 65 miles north of Auckland. The super-exclusive golf club is located on Te Arai Beach and has eight members' cottages, each complete with a snug living area, kitchenette, luxurious bathroom and large bedroom, plus floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the stunning, rugged landscapes.

With plenty of space to land helicopters alongside the putting green, the secretive 570-acre community hand-picks its billionaire guests. Complete with a golf course designed by renowned architect Tom Doak, residents can enjoy miles of seemingly untouched beaches, all manner of wildlife and complete privacy from the outside world. We can't imagine a more peaceful place to shelter should the worst happen.

Fidelity National Financial chairman and US billionaire Bill Foley has multiple properties in the Wairarapa region on New Zealand's North Island. Originally established as a sheep station back in the 1840s, this luxury lakefront hotel and private cottages were used by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, during their state visit to the country in 2014.

Scenic and secluded, Wharekauhau Lodge stretches across farmland and coastline, with a working sheep farm and vegetable gardens making the residence self-sufficient in the event of a national disaster. As well as all the essentials, the extensive property also includes a tennis court, spa and outdoor pool.

Over two and a half hours' drive from Wellington, the remote ranch is secluded and stunningly beautiful. It has plenty of room to land a helicopter too if Bill needs to make a quick landing in post-apocalyptic conditions. Occasionally, lots are listed for sale on the estate, so you could pick up your very own piece of survival land. 

Director James Cameron is known for exploring new territories. He went to record-breaking depths during underwater filming for the Titanic movie and took CGI to the next level with his film, Avatar. Now, the director-turned-farmer has expanded into plant-based business ventures in rural New Zealand.

Joining the flocking billionaires, Cameron bought more than 2,500 acres of land in Wairarapa on the North Island. The director set up Cameron Family Farms and purchased a walnut orchard, along with a vast plot of land, plus a large property overlooking Lake Pounui, which sits within miles of rolling countryside.

The main house is flanked by dense forest and Cameron and his family reportedly moved there indefinitely, intending to live off the land away from the big cities, according to the NZ Herald. “We want to raise our kids with the values we had when we were growing up, close to the land and with a strong work ethic,” he said in a statement regarding the move.

One millionaire mogul who is ready to evacuate if populated areas become compromised is Julian Robertson. The hotelier owns three remote luxury estates around the rural lakes and mountains of New Zealand, which come complete with golf courses, infinity pools and plush accommodation. 

Robertson’s property is particularly well-equipped for an emergency getaway. The remote mountain resort includes a private jetty onto the vast Lake Wakatipu, as well as multiple helicopter landing sites between the resort, the mountains and the hotelier’s other New Zealand properties. These include a working sheep and cow farm that can ferry supplies to the exclusive enclave.

But it’s not only New Zealand and the remote reaches of the Pacific Ocean that appeal to super-wealthy survivalists. Look hard enough and you’ll find secret billionaires' bunkers all over the world. The Oppidum complex in the Czech Republic is the largest dedicated space for weathering global disasters.

Offering an insight into the property's construction, a 1953 article in Popular Mechanics magazine sheds light on the home's unusual hidden features. While the expansive interior includes huge swathes of glass, the sturdy structure was built with fluted walls, designed to withstand aftershocks from atomic bombs. 

According to the same article, Hayes also installed a swimming pool that could double up as a natural decontamination bath. In case of a nuclear disaster, underwater tunnels led to a subterranean bunker that was stocked with oxygen tanks. Although the property's agent, Jason Oppenheim, doesn’t know for sure that the secret underground room is still there, he believes that it may well be. Not a bad spot to call home in a global catastrophe!