Landmark Building To Anchor Central Otago Development

A $10million architecturally crafted landmark building is set to be the community ‘heart’ of a stunning new alpine village.

View from Club Room

The Homestead will be a focal point for property owners and visitors at Mt Cardrona Station, a $650m development set over 400 hectares of stunning high-country land on a sunny plateau above the Cardrona Valley.

The 1,350sqm building, designed to reflect the heritage of the region but remain unashamedly contemporary in look and style, will house a restaurant, members’ lounge, gym and workout spaces, meeting rooms, reception area, swimming pool and hot pools.

Overlooking a tarn and with breath taking views of the valley and mountains, the building evokes the high-country buildings and rich pioneering history of Cardrona and the wider Central Otago region while being designed to the highest sustainability standards in New Zealand.

The Homestead is the embodiment of what is being created at Mt Cardrona Station by co-owners and developers Chris Morton and Andrew Spencer, partnered with the dream design team of Leuschke Group Architects and landscape architects Baxter Design.

The development has been 15 years in the making and owners will have the right to roam over 30km of walking and mountain biking trails on station land designed by experienced local trail builder Tom Hey.

A wide range of land-only sites and home and land packages have been released to the market with many already sold to buyers from around Australasia.

The developers are passionate about the area’s outdoor lifestyle opportunities so have gone to great lengths to set aside and enhance over 350ha of the land as open spaces, with every design choice considering the connection to the environment and people.

The chance to live or stay this close to ski fields are a rarity in New Zealand, but in this case Cardrona Alpine Resort, Soho Basin and Snow Farm are all right on the doorstep, with Treble Cone and Coronet Peak within easy reach. The Wanaka lakefront with its many award-winning restaurants, bars and retail outlets is just 15 minutes away, while Queenstown and its international airport are a 45-minute drive.

“We’re delighted to launch our vision for The Homestead as a focal point for owners where they can connect with neighbours, bring their guests, and to enjoy the scenery,” says Chris Morton.

“It promises to be a destination in its own right with resort-like facilities available all year round.

“Community spaces in The Homestead are focused on connections. You’ll always find someone you know for a catch-up chat. From watching a game in the members-only club room to a long lunch on the deck overlooking the patio, this is where a community comes to life.”

Morton says The Homestead will be the perfect venue for après ski – a soak in the hot pools overlooking the tarn after time on the slopes and a drink with friends to exchange powder day stories. Connections will be made over a coffee or a workout in the gym before using the meeting facilities.

The Homestead is a series of four long, low buildings which seamlessly connect. Like many utilitarian rural buildings that weather the passage of time, The Homestead will be a symphony of raw materials, including Corten steel, corrugated iron, unfinished timber, local stone and glass.

“You won’t find paint or plasterboard in this building,” says Luke Leuschke of prominent architectural firm Leuschke Group Architects. “The challenge was to capture the essence of yesterday with the needs of today and into the future.

“Thermal performance, keeping the building cool in summer yet warm in winter, was high on our list of design priorities, incorporating best practice sustainability measures.”

Mt Cardrona Station is working towards the highest possible 6-star Green Star rating for The Homestead, representing world leadership in a building’s performance and environmental impact, and making it a leader in sustainability.

Construction on Stage One of The Homestead will begin in late summer 2023, housing the members Club Room, gym and reception, while the restaurant will be part of Stage Two and the pool will be finished in Stage Three.

Four residential neighbourhoods currently available for buyers maximise sun, privacy and panoramic views. A small number of exclusive land-only sites are still available within the premium Walter Little neighbourhood, and Little Meg features smaller land-only sites closer to the village centre.

Other village neighbourhoods on the market include The Ridges and Pioneer, where land-only or concept house-and-landscape designs are available. Multi-award-winning Wanaka building firm CDL Building is the chosen building partner.

Get a feel for The Homestead here.

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