For those wanting a sneak peek into the most expensive and most exclusive properties in the country, you may have to scale a tall fence in Queenstown to do so.
It is behind these high gates where you are likely to find the second homes of some of the very wealthy.
But for those lucky enough to get a glimpse of these $20 million-plus homes overlooking some of the Wakatipu’s most idyllic spots, they won’t be disappointed.
For years Queenstown’s Kelvin Heights on the sunny side of the peninsula was the place to be. It was also the first suburb in New Zealand to record a $1m average house price, followed by Aspen Grove, Queenstown Hill and Arrowtown.
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These suburbs - along with Lake Hayes and the lifestyle blocks in Dalefield - are still highly sought-after, especially with locals, with average house sales hovering around the mid-$2m – but in the past decade there’s been an emerging trend where the very wealthy are now living inside gated communities often within some of these popular suburbs.
New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty Queenstown managing director Mark Harris said Queenstown Hill has been a long-standing favourite because of its stunning views over the town, lake and mountains, as well as only being a quick walk into town - and The Peak gated community within the suburb was often seen as the ultimate place to be.
It is also popular with Australians who flock to the popular South Island resort for its winter sports.
“It’s well sought after for those reasons – the views are incredible and it’s very close to all the action. Especially in winter, ski season people don’t want to travel far to go into town so it’s nice and handy.”
The Peak gated community has just 12 sites and can only be accessed with a code. A bare section in The Peak recently sold for $4m, but the precinct is also home to a couple of $20m-plus properties.
Outside The Peak, a Queenstown Hill property sold a few weeks ago for $9m before it could be uploaded onto Sotheby’s website. “When they come up, they go pretty quickly.”
Harris said gated communities are a trend that had been adopted from overseas and is a winner with high-end buyers seeking privacy and exclusivity.
Ray White Queenstown and Arrowtown principal Bas Smith agrees that in the past 10 years there has been a move by the very wealthy to look for properties in gated communities – often as a second home.
A luxury five-bedroom home in Queenstown’s exclusive Wyuna Preserve fetched $17.5 million. Photo / Supplied
“There’s a range of high-end product and high-end communities here that people can choose from depending on what fits.”
Some of these communities can be found within the suburbs and others like Wyuna Preserve towards Glenorchy are on their own.
Smith’s pick for himself to live in is Wyuna Preserve because although it is 30 minutes from Queenstown, it is peaceful and absolutely “beautiful”.
Due to its distance from Queenstown, Smith said it had been hard to find buyers for Wyuna Preserve but since Covid-19 it has been in high demand and is now home to several of New Zealand’s most expensive properties.
“People desire isolation. It is absolutely beautiful up there.”
And while a lot of people liked to be closer to the ski resorts, those who own property at Wyuna Preserve just go heli-skiing, he said.
NZ Sotheby’s International Realty Queenstown managing director Mark Harris: “When they come up, they go pretty quickly.” Photo / Supplied
There are 34 sites in the precinct along with a clubhouse, pool, gym and the world-leading Aro Ha Wellness Retreat.
A 3.3-hectare section in Wyuna Preserve is currently listed for sale on OneRoof by Luxury Real Estate with the price by negotiation.
In the past, sections at Wyuna Preserve have sold for between $1m and $4.3m, but owners are now wanting more for them, Smith said.
“If you talk to any of the owners now that are potentially selling, nothing would be on the market for under $3m and there’s a couple of people saying they would sell but only for $5m to $6m.”
On the market: Lot 28 at Wyuna Preserve, in Queenstown. Photo / Supplied
In September last year a 754sqm five-bedroom home designed by Mason & Wales architect Hamish Muir on 6.69ha in Wyuna Preserve fetched $17.5m, making it the expensive property sold in the district last year.
Slightly closer to Queenstown and sitting above Matakauri Lodge is the Forestlines gated community that overlooks the lakes and mountains and, according to some agents, has arguably the best views in the district.
The 12 sites were first sold about 10 years ago for around $2m, but some have recently been resold fetching record prices. Not all the sites have been built on yet.
Last month an out-of-town buyer snapped up a 3.1ha section on Forestlines Rise within days of it being listed for more than $6m – the most expensive residential section ever to be sold in the region.
The same agency, Ray White, also recently sold a super home off the plans for $25.75m - breaking another record for the area.
Last year two properties, also in the gated community, sold for $16.1m and $7.96m.
Ross Hawkins, a top salesperson for Ray White Black Group Realty Ltd, is now working with a developer on a $30m off-the-plan property in Forestlines Rise.
Hawkins is marketing eight equal shares in Parore for $3.75m each and said there’s been plenty of interest so far.
He thinks fractional ownership - where buyers have a share of a luxury property as a transferable title which they can sell - will be popular because in Queenstown there are many expensive homes that sit empty for most of the year.
Closeburn Station is a similar distance as Forestlines Rise from town, but those who bought there also take an equal share in the working high country sheep and cattle station.
An artist's impression of a luxury lodge in Queenstown gated community that recently sold for $25.75m. Photo / Supplied
Within the grounds are three additional lakes, a horse arena, tennis court and four huts scattered around the station that have been thoughtfully decorated with possum and sheep skins for owners to stay in.
“It’s incredible. There are tracks and there are back country huts that are all done up and pretty lovely,” Smith said.
Closeburn Station is where billionaire Graeme Hart chooses to have his Queenstown home after purchasing the 763sqm lodge-style property in 2017.
Golf lovers look no further than Jacks Point Preserve, a 32-lot exclusive community dotted around the golf course.
The $18m to $30m properties are on the premium sites in the wider Jacks Point residential 600-plus subdivision. “They are up on the ridge overlooking the lake... you can’t access them unless you are playing golf or a resident there,” Smith said.
A 1.337ha section at Jacks Point sold for $4.86m in September last year – the second most expensive vacant site to sell in the area, according to data provided by OneRoof’s data partner Valocity.
Despite new gated communities popping up around the Wakatipu, the more established Millbrook Resort on the outskirts of Arrowtown remains the district’s largest gated community.
The five-star resort has two 18-hole champion golf courses, a spa, health and wellness centre and several restaurants with both new home and land packages, bare land blocks and existing homes available on privately-owned freehold titles.
And while the very rich are still eager to add a Queenstown home to their property portfolio, over the years the ski resort has also become a place where people want to spend more and more time. Since Covid-19 many Aucklanders have relocated there permanently and since the border re-opened Australians are also returning in droves.
Harris said: “Over the years it has moved more towards full-time living – that's what we’ve noticed. When I first started the business, it was a lot of people just buying holiday homes, but now more and more of them are looking at it as a place to move to and live in or at least spend a lot more time than just popping over for the weekend.”
