James Cameron Lists $33M California Home & Now Primarly Lives in New Zealand - Inside His Decision
James Cameron's home of titanic proportions is where you want to be with your family after an apocalypse. The self-sufficient compound has an ocean view of the Santa Barbara coastline.
James Cameron is offloading one of the gems in his real estate portfolio; a ranch of around 100 acres on the Gaviota Coast of Santa Barbara County. He purchased the property in 1999 for $4.37 million and put it on the market for $33 million.
The environmental advocate, who is selling the property as he and his family are spending more time in New Zealand, told the Wall Street Journal that if the world ends, this is an excellent spot to "weather the storm."
The property is essentially off the grid, with independent water and electricity sources. In terms of the public having access to the beach attached to his homestead, the director said:
"I'm an old-school land rights kind of guy in that regard."
Cameron also has two mansions in Calabasas, California. The area is famous for being the home base of the Kardashians. The Canadian-born director bought the Beaufort Vineyard and Estate Winery on Vancouver Island in 2014 for $2.7 million.
James Cameron and Suzy Amis Cameron attend the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza, on January 15, 2023, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
He has bought and sold swaths of land over the years, but his first notable purchase was in the late eighties with a six-bedroom home in Malibu.
James Cameron later bought a neighboring house but listed the properties in 2020. Celebrities like Britney Spears and the late Olivia Newton-John are said to have had homes in the area.
Director James Cameron (C) and Suzy Amis (L) at the world premiere of "The Hobbit" movie in Courtenay Place in Wellington, New Zealand on November 28, 2012. | Source: Getty Images
Cameron has said New Zealand is "like a living painting." He purchased 2,500 acres of farmland in Pounui Ridge, New Zealand, in 2012. Per his agreement with the government, he must use some of the land for agriculture.
As he and his fifth wife, Suzy Amis, and their family follow a plant-based diet, they had the challenge of converting the land for cattle farming to grow produce.