For sale: NZ’s most glamorous woolshed and a Lord of the Rings estate

New Zealand buyers looking for impressive period homes outside of the main centres are spoiled for choice. Remarkable properties with a history can be found in the most picture postcard corners of the country, and the ones profiled below include a luxury woolshed, a former bank and a beautiful estate that has connections to Sir Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films.

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412 Engelbrechts Road, Waimate, Canterbury

Historic in New Zealand doesn’t always mean a two-storey home with verandas and sweeping staircases. Arguably the most stunning historic wool shed for sale in the country can be found at 412 Engelbrechts Road, in Waimate, Canterbury.

The 110-year-old Mt Michael Station wool shed was deconstructed beam by beam, and then reconstructed on a spot positioned high above the Waimate plains in the Hunter Hills, says listing agent Kitty Culp, from One Agency.

The project was born when Mt Michael Station owners Blair Wilce and Julianna Love failed to find buyers for a block of bare land on their Waimate estate.

Culp suggested building on the hillside, which had its own title. Wilce, a plumber by trade, had a network of other tradespeople to call on, and with them both he and Love have created a unique home.

“Blair and Julianna had done an amazing job of renovating their own homestead at Mt Michael Station,” says Culp. “They took the woolshed apart bit by bit and reconstructed the whole thing with this amazing view. They thought through every detail. It has original copper spouting. They upcycled the iron roof and protected it. Everything has code of compliance.”

Mt Michael Woolshed has proved a victim of its own success. Rented out from $390 per night on the Canopy Camping website, the property has proved so popular that Love couldn’t keep up with the work. “It just went crazy,” says Culp. “She has had to book days off to just catch up.”

The couple have decided to sell in order to team up with the same group of tradespeople who built Mt Michael Woolshed and renovate more homes in Waimate.

The property, which has a 2022 RV of $620,000, is listed for sale by negotiation. The 90sqm “shed” has two bedrooms, one bathroom, and sits on 4.34ha of land. (Click here to see more photos of this listing.)

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73 Rue Lavaud, Akaroa, Banks Peninsula, Canterbury

The former BNZ building in Akaroa is one of the coastal town’s most recognisable properties. BNZ’s history on the site stretches back to 1876, with the current two-storey building constructed in 1906.

The current owners, who have a keen interest in heritage homes, bought the property more than 20 years ago for $355,000, and it was occupied by BNZ until 18 months ago.

The ground floor, which the bank used to occupy, is currently vacant, while the top floor, formerly the manager’s accommodation, is now a beautiful three-bedroom home.

Listing agent Chris Mangels, from Bayleys, says potential buyers have suggested a range of plans for the building. “Boutique hotels, hospitality potentially, private residence, or private residence with an income stream below, or a premium brand frontage. It’s a high profile site.”

The property has an asking price of $1.5m plus GST, if any, with all offers to be submitted by 2pm, June 2, unless sold prior. (Click here to see more photos of this listing.)

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Fernside, Tauherenikau, South Wairarapa, Wellington

Anything but Hobbit-sized, Fernside estate in Tauherenikau, South Wairarapa, is part of New Zealand movie history. It has had two cameos in Sir Peter Jackson’s Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings movies.

The lake on the 11.6ha property featured in Fellowship of the Ring, in the scene where Galadriel, played by Cate Blanchett, farewells Frodo and his companions, and again in Return of the King for the fateful scene where Smeagol, played by Andy Serkis, first sets eyes on his “precious” Ring and turns into the creature Gollum.

During filming, Fernside’s mansion hosted several cast members, including Orlando Bloom and Elijah Wood, who played Legolas and Frodo.

Listing agent Anthony Morsinkhof, of PQ Property Intelligence and Forbes Global Properties, says the grounds have been spectacularly restored by the owner. “Gardening is the vendor’s passion,” he says. “There was a historical garden there, but it was in disrepair. He has restored the gardens and added some more formal parts of the gardens, which look as if they’ve been there forever, but they’ve actually been developed by the current owner.”

The property is for sale by way of negotiation. (Click here to see more photos of this listing.)

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41 Towey Street, Holmes Hill, Waitaki, Otago

So stunning were the listing photos of Pen-Y-Bryn Lodge that James Glucksman and his partner James Boussy jumped on a plane from Beijing to view it in person. “As we drove up the driveway, we just literally fell in love with it,” Glucksman tells OneRoof. “We said, ‘let’s do this’.

“When we returned to Beijing and started telling our Kiwi friends we were moving to Oamaru, every single one of them said, ‘oh my God, what?’”

That was back in 2010 and the pair have kept the seven-bedroom, nine-bathroom, 830sqm Category One-status property in magnificent shape. They have re-roofed and rewired the home, installed insulation and heating, remodelled the guest rooms and improved the 5059sqm grounds, including adding an Oamaru stone wall along the front boundary.

The pair have decided to sell up and downsize. Glucksman says he feels tearful when he thinks of leaving Pen-Y-Bryn. “We’ve been running it as a luxury lodge for 13 years, and I’m the chef. I enjoy it a lot. But we’re getting to the point where we’re getting older, and I have hobbies that I want to pursue more actively,” he says.

The property is listed with New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty agent Laura Reidy and is for sale by way of price by negotiation. (Click here to see more photos of this listing.)

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Woodfields Road, Swannanoa, Waimakariri

When Lime Real Estate principal Brooke Azzopardi first stepped foot on the grounds of Northwood Estate, she immediately wanted to buy it, or have her wedding there, or both. “It’s magnificent. I’ve been selling real estate for 17 years and it would be the nicest property I’ve ever had on my books,” she says.

“Often you find these old homes haven’t been restored, and they can be really costly, but the owners have spent a lot of time doing all of the restoration.”

The owners’ renovation includes upgrading the 4.71ha estate, which now sports an outdoor oasis and Japanese Zen garden. “Originally they had a vision that they would make it into a wedding venue,” says Azzopardi. “It’s not consented for that. But if someone did want to use the property for weddings, it definitely has all the hard work and development done. They’d have to get resource consent.”

The 520sqm seven-bedroom home, which was built in 1885 from Rimu and Kauri, is looking for buyers with budgets of $2.7m-plus. (Click here to see more photos of this listing.)

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70 Queen Street, Cambridge, Waipa, Waikato

The historic Park House, a character-packed Arts and Crafts movement home built in 1928, was extensively restored following a fire in the upstairs level in 2011, says Bayleys agent Willem Brown.

The home, which runs as a part-time bed and breakfast, was originally built as the upmarket Midlands Private Hotel. “It has nine bedrooms and six bathrooms and there is the opportunity for someone to utilise what was a commercial kitchen, but is an empty room now,” says Brown. “The dining hall could be utilised for a restaurant or commercial offices.”

Thanks to the 2010s rebuilding work, the home has a 100% new building standard [NBS] earthquake rating and it is listed on the Waipa District Plan as a home of regional and district wide significance.

Park House overlooks the Cambridge Village Green, which means its views can’t be built out, Brown says. It’s also easy walking distance to the Cambridge town centre. The property comprises a 601sqm home on 1626sqm of land. (Click here to see more photos of this listing.)