- An Austrian builder withdrew from buying Greenhill Lodge due to the complex OIO process, says Tony Knaggs.
- Australia-based Kiwi expats purchased the historic estate, where the Queen Mother stayed in the 1950s.
- Still on the market is Chateau Tongariro, which is seeking proposals from investors and developers.
An Austrian builder tried to buy a historic Hawke’s Bay estate with royal connections but pulled out because the OIO process was too complicated, said Bayleys agent Tony Knaggs.
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The Austrian’s loss was the gain of Australia-based Kiwi expats, who are now the new custodians of Greenhill Lodge, where the Queen Mother stayed during her tour of New Zealand in the late 1950s.
Knaggs said the Austrian was from a construction family who loved buying “really old properties in Europe” and restoring them.
“He actually stayed in Greenhill in 2017 with his family, and he happened to be in Napier [at the time the property was on the market]. He thought, ‘I’ve been there, and it’s for sale’, so he went and drove there.
“He emailed me that night, and it unfolded from there. That was quite fortuitous, but obviously he didn’t end up buying it in the end.”
The estate also attracted the attention of an Austrian developer, who spied that it was for sale while on a visit to Napier. Photo / Supplied
The new owners plan to keep the lodge open to paying guests. Photo / Supplied
Knaggs thought the new expat owners would keep the lodge open as an accommodation business but also use it as a family home.
He could not reveal the sale price – the deal settles in July – but said the property sold five years ago for $3.4 million.
The lodge website described how the Queen Mother requested two days of rest at the homestead during her tour of the North Island in 1958.
“Her Majesty asked the New Zealand authorities arranging her tour for a stay in a home typical of early pioneering days. The Queen Mother’s residence at Greenhill was marked by the raising of the Royal Standard from the tower.”
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A photo from the tour shows the Queen Mother at the estate watching a sheep shearing demonstration in the woolshed.
The lodge was once part of Maraekakaho Station, which comprised around 60,000 acres west of Hastings. “In 1880, Archibald McLean bought 3300 acres of Maraekakaho and named his property Greenhill after his old home in Tiree, in Scotland.
“In 1897, Archibald McLean married Mrs Lyons, a widow with three sons, and began building a substantial homestead on an imposing site commanding panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.”
The site said Greenhill was designed by George Sollitt, a Yorkshireman who set up an architectural practice in 1890. “The architect, no doubt inspired both by the site and his client’s aspiration to be lord of all he surveyed, designed a three-story central viewing turret, which dominates the villa.
The Queen Mother toured New Zealand in 1958 and rested up at Greenhill Lodge. Photo / Getty Images
“No expense was spared. On a verandah frequently interrupted by porticos, paired posts are elaborately turned; shingled gables adorn a roof structure of enormous complexity; eaves are supported by brackets of widely varying types.”
The home features ornate fireplaces, decorative mouldings and stained-glass windows, with gardens designed by renowned colonial landscape gardener Alfred Buxton.
About three hours north of Greenhill, another historic lodge has entered the property spotlight. Chateau Tongariro was listed late last month, and CBRE agent Peter Hamilton said it was already drawing strong interest from New Zealand buyers.
The April 21 closing date is fast approaching for requests for proposals from investors, developers and hotel operators interested in restoring the historic hotel.
Chateau Tongariro, which sits on conservation land within Tongariro National Park, closed in 2023 after nearly 100 years of operation due to earthquake risk.
Hamilton said it would take some time to work through the proposals and strike a deal, with parties looking at obtaining the right to operate or occupy the property from the Department of Conservation.
Chateau Tongariro, in Ruapehu, is looking for investors and developers to restore it to its former glory. Photo / Supplied
He added that the campaign was not a conventional sales one, but was instead aimed at finding a lessee willing to take control of the property and carry out the necessary restoration work.
While there had been some international enquiries, most of the interest was local.
The listing described the chateau as representing a rare large-scale refurbishment opportunity within a nationally significant tourism landscape.
“This process seeks insights from qualified investors, developers, and operators regarding heritage-sensitive refurbishment, seismic remediation, capital expenditure expectations, commercial structuring, Iwi engagement, and operational intentions.
“This is a unique opportunity to restore this landmark property to a premium four or five-star standard, ensuring its long-term viability and contribution to the region’s tourism economy.”
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