- A Queenstown mansion sold for $45.5m, setting a new national house price record.
- Chantecler, a 19ha estate, features lush gardens and a French-style mansion.
- The sale highlights a rebound in Queenstown-Lakes’ luxury property market, with strong demand from international buyers.
A Queenstown mansion with a spectacular garden has sold for $45.5 million, smashing the country’s house price record.
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OneRoof can reveal that Chantecler, a 19-hectare estate on Lower Shotover Road, sold in an off-market deal nearly two years ago but the sale has remained hidden until now.
OneRoof first reported the record-breaking deal in September 2023 but was unable to disclose the identity of the property or the exact sale price.
The estate is home to a garden of national significance. Photo / James Allan
The 19ha estate is in an area currently earmarked for development. Photo / James Allan
Hamish Walker, of Walker & Co, was only able to share details of his sale after it had settled.
“The sale was conducted off-market with a buyer from my database who truly appreciates the unique value of this property,” he told OneRoof.
Walker said Chantecler’s “lush gardens and prime location” made it an “exceptional investment opportunity”.
The large four-bedroom trophy home was designed by the vendors themselves and emulates French-style mansions. It includes several living areas, a beautiful pool area, multiple fireplaces, terraces and a glass-roofed orangery.
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“The highlight remains the exquisite gardens and the serene environment that have been meticulously maintained by the vendors. This property represents not just a home, but a legacy of passion and generosity towards the community.”
Walker noted that the property could be subdivided. Part of the estate is in a zone earmarked for housing and commercial development, with several estates along Lower Shotover Road selling for big money to various developers.
The $45.5m sale price, which is a combination of two deals – one for $35m, the other for $10.5m – eclipses the previous house record of $38.5m, which was set in 2013 for the former Hotchin mansion on Huriaro Place, in Auckland’s Orakei.
Walker & Co founder Hamish Walker: "The sale was conducted off-market with a buyer from my database who truly appreciates the unique value of this property." Photo / Supplied
The property was designed by the vendors as their dream home. Photo / James Allan
That record, achieved by rich-lister agent Graham Wall, of Wall Real Estate, had stood unchallenged for 10 years, with only one other home – the Coatesville mansion owned by the ZURU Toys billionaires – coming close with a sale price of $32.5m in 2016.
Chantecler’s vendors wished to remain anonymous but OneRoof can report that they bought the property more than 20 years ago. The Auckland couple got rid of the 1960s Oamaru stone bungalow that was on the estate, and set about building their dream home and crafting the award-winning grounds.
Chantecler has been recognised as having a “garden of national significance” by the New Zealand Gardens Trust and has been a popular spot for tourists and garden-lovers.
For more than a decade, Huriaro Place, in Auckland's Orakei, was New Zealand’s most expensive home after selling for $38.5m. Photo / Fiona Goodall
Third-place: The Coatesville mansion, formerly occupied by Kim Dotcom, was bought by the owners of ZURU Toys in 2016 for $32.5m. Photo / Supplied
A New Zealand Herald report from 2022 described the estate as “really seven gardens in one – English, Asian, perennial, woodland, native, Mediterranean, plus a formal garden with a picture-perfect moon gate draped with red Dublin Bay roses”.
The article highlighted the 300 peonies, 200 Japanese maples, 400 roses, and 44 different varieties of hydrangeas.
The revelation of the sale comes amid a bounce in Queenstown-Lakes house prices. The district’s average property value has grown 1.1% ($23,000) to $2.077m in the last three months.
Walker has revealed to OneRoof several other big residential sales he has completed in the Queenstown area, ranging from $5m to $8m.
4 Cardigan Street, Arrowtown, is on the market looking for more than $5.95m. Photo / Supplied
Another Walker listing is 12 Crows Nest, Arthurs Point, which is one of the highest residential spots above Queenstown. Photo / Supplied
“There is no question the luxury market has started moving again. We are now only around 20% below our peak sales of 2021,” he said, adding that the bulk of the sales came in the second half of last year.
Figures show 35 properties sold for more than $5m in the region in 2024. While that is still down on the market peak of 2021, when the region clocked 45 over $5m sales, it is still a big turnaround on the previous three years.
Walker said that six of those deals were his, including a $8.35m property in Millbrook and $6.2m in Dalefield. The buyers were a mix of Aucklanders, locals and Australians, he said.
“Demand is strong from buyers located in Auckland, eastern Australia and Singapore and very recently other places such as America,” he said.
“When the market slowed a little during 2022 and 2023 I decided to get off my backside and fly over and meet buyers in other locations such as Singapore. This paid off for my vendors.”
He said that while the rules on foreigners buying residential property in New Zealand would not change when the new foreign investment rules come into effect in April, deals would be easier to complete.
Walker said the time it took for foreigners to get approval from the Overseas Investment Office had sped up in the past year, which would help buyers.
“I’m aware of one [application] that was processed in 20 working days. A year or two years ago, that would have been six months. There’s been a list of Americans looking to buy here. That’s due to the political situation in America and secondly, word has got around that the government is making it easier for foreigners to invest.”
Walker said new or near-new properties were commanding a premium price for buyers who just want to get to Queenstown and enjoy their downtime, and not manage a building project.
One such property Walker and Barry Litten are marketing is a huge schist and cedar four-bedroom home at 4 Cardigan Street, Arrowtown, that is looking for more than $5.95m. Constructed by one of the region’s top builders for his family, the huge house has a pool and spa, four-car garage and home cinema. The property has an RV of $5.5m.
The agency is also listing a four-bedroom home at 12 Crows Nest, Arthurs Point, which is one of the highest residential spots above Queenstown.
The 2.77ha property, which has a second dwelling on it, has views of Coronet Peak, the Remarkables and the Wakatipu basin and is situated on land that was once part of the goldmining route in the 1870s.
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