The lakefront estate where Richie and Gemma McCaw tied the knot has sold, OneRoof can reveal.
Agent Phil Gilchrist, of Prime Real Estate, confirmed the sale of Barn Pinch, in Queenstown-Lakes after the listing for it was withdrawn last week and recorded as sold, but he declined to reveal the buyer’s identity or the sale price.
Gilchrist had previously told OneRoof there had been strong interest in the estate from local and international buyers, who were drawn to the privacy and lake views it offered.
The 34-hectare estate on Wanaka-Mount Aspiring Road hit the market in July for the first time in 100 years.
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Reports at the time said the property was looking for $20 million-plus, which would eclipse Wanaka's current sale record - $16m achieved in 2023 by an architecturally designed five-bedroom home on Buchanan Rise, on Roys Peninsula, west of Glendhu Bay.
Gilchrist had said those who had expressed interest in Barn Pinch were looking either to live there full-time or to establish a New Zealand bolthole for themselves. “It attracted a lot of people who were willing to put money on the line.”
He added: “Most of those properties never leave the family.”
Barn Pinch is where Richie and Gemma McCaw tied the knot. Photo / Supplied
The estate overlooks the lake and will offer the new owner an unusual amount of privacy. Photo / Supplied
Barn Pinch is home to the prestigious Olive Grove wedding venue, which was set up in 2014, and has been the setting for many high-profile ceremonies. Former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw and ex-Black Sticks star Gemma Flynn tied the knot there in 2017.
The wedding had been dubbed at the time as the closest New Zealand would get to a royal wedding.
Gilchrist, who marketed Barn Pinch with Bayleys Real Estate, previously told OneRoof that the stretch of land from Wanaka to Glendhu Bay had become a magnet for the uber-wealthy, and included Whare Kea Lodge, built by the Australian Myer family, and the house once owned by country music icon Shania Twain.
He said the fact Barn Pinch came with an existing residential structure – a 1970s architecturally designed house overlooking the lake – was seen as an advantage.
Someone applying to build on a rural block of land so close to the town and the lake would likely be knocked back these days, Gilchrist told OneRoof in July, but the fact Barn Pinch had a pre-existing house meant renovating, restoring, or even rebuilding would be much easier.
The residential structures on Barn Pinch will make it easier for the new owner to get new building consents. Photo / Supplied
An award-winning house on Buchanan Rise, Wanaka, sold for $16m in 2023. Neighbouring Barn Pinch is said to have eclipsed that record. Photo / Supplied
The estate was originally part of the Wanaka station owned by philanthropists Sir Percy and Lady Lucy Sargood, who transferred the 34ha Barn Pinch Farm to their granddaughter Jill Blennerhassett in the 1960s.
Over the years Blennerhassett and her husband John planted a variety of trees including olive trees on the section. An array of properties were scattered around the site, ranging from a two-bedroom homestead to self-contained sleepouts.
Gilchrist told OneRoof this week he was working with buyers who had missed out on Barn Pinch and were eager to secure something with privacy and lake and mountain views as soon as possible.
“That’s the difficult one to get – privacy with lake views. Because lake views wrap around Wanaka and most of that is in smaller lots, you don’t get the privacy.”
- Click here to find more properties for sale in Queenstown-Lakes
