The $200m Queenstown extravaganza turning heads
Excitement is building for the future of the dynamic bar, restaurant, hotel and retirement living precinct that was once a 160-year-old farm. But the locals have been a tough crowd to please.
As property multi-millionaire Chris Meehan enjoys a quiet pinot around the fireside at The Woolshed, one of the venues at his just-opened $200m Ayrburn hospitality precinct on the outskirts of New Zealand’s chocolate box township of Arrowtown, locals step up to applaud him.
Initially he copped some flack with his plan to convert a sprawling 160-year-old sheep farm into a dynamic bar, restaurant, boutique hotel and retirement living precinct, in the foothills of The Remarkables.
Now locals, no doubt cognisant of New Zealand’s slowing economy, introduce themselves to Meehan, thanking him for building the development on one of the South Island’s oldest sheep farms into an extravaganza rivalling anything Australia’s hospitality tsar Justin Hemmes has ever dished up.
They are rubbing their hands in glee given Ayrburn will draw in local and domestic tourists, support local farmers and suppliers, and employ locals. It will also entertain them.
Eventually, Ayrburn will produce 75,000 litres of wine a year. So far, many of its old stone farmhouses have been converted stone by stone into a series of dining and bar venues as well as vineyards. Next will be a boutique hotel and an upmarket retirement village.
Ayrburn will tap into the bike trails surrounding Arrowtown and is surrounded by at least three golf courses owned by New Zealand luminaries including jeweller Michael Hill.
Five Ayrburn venues opened last December and there’s another six to come, plus a ritzy retirement village called Northbrook.
Even though the minimum age to buy into the 196 retirement apartments under development at Ayrburn is 70 years – and the minimum entry cost is $NZ1.98m ($1.82m) rising to $NZ7m to $NZ8m – much younger buyers are expected to be clamouring to buy once they see the display suite.
“I am pitching the BMW of retirement living,” he says with a grin, adding that the apartments will be equipped with full medical and dementia facilities.
“The pitch is they are for people who like living in five-star hotels with their mates. We’ll run these retirement villages like a hotel.”
The apartments will overlook Mill Creek, a skilfully diverted trout-filled stream running from a waterfall at the very back of the property into the village-like Ayrburn with its bars, gelataria and dining venues.
Meehan’s’ vision for Ayrburn started from repurposing the original farm buildings within the hidden natural haven of the farm. He wanted to create a destination for people to enjoy that extended past a traditional vineyard food and wine experience and unlike anything else ever seen in this part of the world.
He is still to decide what other creations he has planned for Ayrburn – it could be more luxury homes but for now he’s focused on opening the remaining six venues.
Apart from the planting of 40,000 native trees, more developments to come include the flagship Billy’s, a fine dining restaurant scheduled to open mid year.
The restaurant is being developed within the old homestead and Meehan has just hired a world-class chef. Plans include a fleet of buses that will ferry locals and international tourists to the venue from Queenstown.
Achievements are many but there’s been a few low moments for Meehan. In December, when Ayrburn had just opened, it was difficult to source hospitality staff. “It was tough in the beginning, it was some of the least fun I have ever had,” Meehan says.
But now that local restaurant and bar staff can see how popular Ayrburn is and realise how happy patrons are happy to leave big tips they are signing up to join the crew.
The other low moment for the developer was when he was watching as the $NZ1m solid brass Napoleon – a life-size statue of a clydesdale horse he had made to decorate one of Ayrburn’s grassy meeting points – was helicoptered in. A wind shift meant it was touch and go as to whether the mid-air Napoleon, the faithful companion of Ayrburn founder William Patterson, would land in one piece or not.
Perched on Mill Creek, which has been artfully diverted to flow through the property, and positioned near a natural waterfall there’s a yet-to-be-built 16-room boutique hotel and wedding chapel for 120 guests.
The sale of the retirement apartments by Meehan’s Winton group is funding Ayrburn. Winton was listed on the Australian and New Zealand stock exchanges in 2021 and has 26 projects on the go, most of which are residential subdivisions in New Zealand, centred around Auckland. Just one is in the NSW wine township of Cessnock.
Meehan founded Australia’s Belle Property Group, a real estate franchise which he subsequently sold to private equity in 2009.
He says it is harder to get planning approvals in New Zealand compared to Australia but once plans are approved “you have a good pool of high quality tradespeople in New Zealand.”
“You can get it done with less fuss in New Zealand, but consent is really tough. The whole of New Zealand is like Byron Bay, no one wants anything developed.”
As for Ayrburn, even though only 20 per cent of it has been developed at this stage, it has been enough to set the tone, he says.
“I am enjoying it so much I want it to last forever. A developer probably only gets a site this good only once or twice in their lifetime.
“I am hoping we will be the most visited destination in Queenstown.”
The writer was a guest of Ayrburn
