- Fernside, used in Sir Peter Jackson’s films, sold for $3.75m after two years.
- The estate features a historic homestead, gardens of national significance, and a 900sqm mansion.
- The property, once home to the US ambassador, has significant commercial potential and history.
A South Wairarapa estate that graced Sir Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films has finally found its “precious” after more than two-and-a-half years on the market.
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Fernside, a historic homestead located on more than four hectares between Greytown and Featherston, was snapped up for $3.75 million - $2m below RV.
OneRoof understands that the deal came together relatively quickly at the end of last year, despite the long search. However, listing agent Anthony Morsinkhof, from Forbes Global Real Estate, declined to comment on the sale or disclose the identity of the buyer.
Actor Andy Serkis as Smeagol (aka Gollum) in a fateful scene from The Lord of the Rings. The action was filmed at Fernside. Photo / Warner Bros
Fernside’s lake, now restored, was transformed into an elvish river for Sir Peter Jackson’s Rings trilogy. Photo / Supplied
OneRoof profiled the estate when it hit the market in 2022.
The vendors revealed that Sir Peter used Fernside’s otherworldly grounds as backdrops to two key scenes in his Oscar-winning adaptations of J.R.R Tolkien’s popular fantasy novels.
In The Fellowship of the Ring, Fernside’s lake is transformed into a magical river for Cate Blanchett’s elven queen. And in The Return of the King the lake appears again in the fateful opening scene, where the villain Gollum first sets eyes on his “precious” ring of power.
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The vendors told OneRoof that many of the films’ stars stayed at the 900sqm mansion during filming 25 years ago. “We got the stories, and we still have the visitors book they signed when they all stayed here,” they said. “It will stay with the property when we sell.”
The property has hosted countless Lord of the Rings tourists over the years, but the vendors told OneRoof they switched their focus to Fernside’s extraordinary gardens, set on 4.8ha of grounds. Their work means Fernside is now designated a garden of national significance.
“We did tours and we let out the cottage, but the estate has all sorts of commercial potential. We had loads of requests for weddings, but how much privacy do you want to give up?,” they said.
The grand house, rebuilt after a fire in 1924, was the American ambassador’s home between 1945 and 1955. Photo / Supplied
The once-neglected grounds of Fernside have been restored and replanted and are now a garden of national significance. Photo / Supplied
Fernside was founded in 1860, but the original house was destroyed in a fire in the early 1900s and replaced with the current residence. The estate was home to the US ambassador between 1945 and 1955 and hosted many glamorous garden parties.
“There are about six of these large houses around the Wairarapa, all from wool money, but none of them have the history or the gardens,” the owners told OneRoof.
They said the gardens were in poor condition when they bought the estate 17 years ago for just over $5m. They spent five years restoring the silted-over lake and original Victorian features, replanting neglected parts of the garden and repainting with a team of gardeners and contractors. Clipping the hedges was a week-long job, they said.
The Georgian-style house has multiple living spaces and service rooms, five grand bedroom suites plus a staff wing of three bedrooms, a 200sqm three-bedroom guest cottage in the former gatehouse and multiple garages and workshops – all set down a tree-lined 1.8km driveway.
Ponatahi House, in Wairarapa, is seeking buyer enquiries over $5.8m. Photo / Supplied
Another standout home in Wairarapa that’s been on the market for sale for just as long as Fernside is still looking for a buyer. Ponatahi House, which was designed by visionary architect Stuart Gardyne from Architecture+, has a price tag of $5.8m-plus.
Brady Bingham, from New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty, picked up the listing in October and recently told Stuff that the right buyer was out there. “Not many people in the Wellington region are looking at that level, but frequently the right buyer will come along at the right time,” he said.
“It’s not about how long it’s been on the market but about how long that buyer has been looking.”
The multimillion-dollar seven-bedroom house that sits on nine hectares in the Wairarapa comes with a swimming pool and spa, tennis court, gymnasium, workshop and home cinema.
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