the remote $14.6m architect-designed lodge in Craigieburn that celebs are flocking to

Founded in 1857 and covering a total of 14,569 hectares, the station is located roughly halfway between the east and west coasts. It’s a 75-minute drive out of Christchurch (or a 20-minute helicopter ride), just off the West Coast road – also known as the Great Alpine Highway, described by the New Zealand Automobile Association as a “transcendent, transformational traverse”. Having driven this road innumerous times, (my mother is from Hokitika on the West Coast), I can attest, they are not embellishing.

“The joke here is you need to listen to two weather forecasts for both the east and west coasts,” says Cullen. “Then choose whichever sounds best.”

For decades, locals and tourists alike have driven this road to ski at nearby Mount Hutt, or visit the Te Ana Maori Rock Art Centre. The area is also a mecca for outdoorsy types, offering plentiful hiking, mountain biking, fishing, rafting and kayaking in pristine rivers and lakes as well as bouldering – basic rock climbing without harness or ropes.

When the Dalai Lama visited the region briefly in 2002, he was so taken by Flock Hill Station’s Castle Hill (Kura Tāwhiti in Maori) that he named it a “spiritual centre of the universe”. As is usually the case in New Zealand, it took the heft of American wallets to put this scenery on Google Maps for luxury travellers.

Like the Dalai Lama, the Americans – a group of friends now aged mainly in their 70s and semi-retired from careers in finance, banking and IT – fell in love with the landscape at first sight, agreeing to work with conservation groups, and the university, to ensure their development plans met all requirements.

Given there was once a basic motel and backpacker digs here, the move to take the property seriously upmarket did not lack controversy. That said, locals can’t deny they’re enjoying the celebrity spotting. (British actor Emily Blunt was strongly rumoured to be in-residence with her family late last year.)

At a time when foreigners – particularly high-profile Americans such as billionaire PayPal founder Peter Thiel – are being turned down on potential new builds, sensitivity was key.

“The Americans were always adamant it had to retain a working farm atmosphere no matter how high the nightly rate, with the station’s managers fully involved,” says Cullen. “One of our guests’ top-rated activities is heading out on a routine fence check.”

When Fin Magazine arrives on an afternoon in April, an eager sheep dog is bounding outside the house. The private chef is prepping a four-course degustation dinner, including watercress just picked from a local stream. Anna, one of the station’s managers, drops by for a 5pm sauvignon blanc to chat sheep headcount. It all delivers admirably on the “down-on-the-farm” vibe.

The fact the new luxury home overlooks the homestead where Anna and husband Ritchie live – along with worksheds, kennels and barns – helps guests lean into sheep station life. When you tire of watching the farm from the vast stone terrace, your eye will drift towards the Sugarloaf peak and Lake Pearson, with Arthur’s Pass National Park beyond that. The scenery is
so mesmerising, it makes you feel held hostage by a view.

Once you do turn away from the outside, the house, designed by the Christchurch office of Warren and Mahoney, provides an architectural masterclass in building meets place. The use of concrete, glass and timber feels as natural as the weathered cliff formation of Narnia fame. The cathedral ceilings and spacious rooms only exacerbate the feeling of freedom, while the quirky interiors, by Christchurch-based interior designer Jessica Close, provide the snug.

Picture thick merino wool curtains in blood-red and cream; a bespoke dining room table made by Treology from reclaimed mataī and glass pendant lights from Auckland-based Monmouth. No detail is too small, including the merino hot water bottle covers and local pottery used as crockery.

The intricate art works – by the likes of New Zealanders Peata Larkin, Miranda Parkes, Matt Arbuckle and John Eaden – compete well with the scenery. There’s even a dash of Italian style with a Kiwi twist, in the form of the B&B Italia Ray armchairs in navy wool with contrast blanket stitch.

“Breathtaking, isn’t it,” says Valerie Wetmore, the girlfriend of Cullen’s eldest son, Taylor Cullen, who is head chef at Matt Moran’s Chiswick in Sydney. Taylor and Valerie are based in Bondi but are consulting on the project. “I’ve aways been a night owl, but I’m up early when we pop over here for a mini break,” says Valerie. “It’s worth losing sleep for.”

Day two offers a morning tiki tour by ute. The Narnia battle scene escarpment is one of many world-class scenery pockets Cullen shows off during a “top hits” three-hour drive of just a fraction of the sheep station. The old Avoca stationmaster’s weatherboard home is boarded up, but 25 kilometres of the TranzAlpine train line still passes through Flock Hill, adding yet another dimension to this intriguing place.

“We’ve also got a couple of waterholes on the property that are great for cold swimming, but they’re absolutely freezing,” says Cullen before Sandra shuts him down with a rebuke that that’s not what guests want to hear – and that the infinity pool is always heated.

Taylor wanders off to pick giant portobello mushrooms. On his return, he hands them to the chef to be cooked for the following morning’s breakfast after he’s sat them, gills underside up, in the afternoon sun, which he promises will boost the mushrooms’ vitamin D content.

Taylor has already cooked at some of the world’s best lodges, including Nihi Sumba in Indonesia, Uluru’s Longitude 131 and Blanket Bay Lodge in Queenstown. Between them, Taylor and his father have cooked for Keanu Reeves, Oprah and her sizeable entourage as well as Johnny Depp.

“People will tell you they do gate-to-plate, but it’s done to varying degrees,” says Cullen. “When the restaurant opens here next year, I promise you, we will do it full on.”

I don’t doubt him. Just don’t tell him a cheese toastie, served with this view, would taste almost as good.

• The writer flew courtesy of Air New Zealand and stayed as a guest of Flockhill.