In March 2017, it was reported that Graeme Hart, New Zealand’s richest man, had purchased a $24 million holiday home in Queenstown, New Zealand. The property, which boasts six bedrooms, is located at the exclusive Closeburn Station and covers an area of 746 square metres. It is said to be the resort’s first eight-figure residential property sale.
The opulent house also comes with a 144sq m day spa and 91sq m implements shed, adding to the list of big-ticket toys accumulated by the packaging tycoon in recent years. These include two mega-yachts worth over $100m each, which he reportedly launched in Norway.
Hart, who is reportedly worth $13.5 billion according to Forbes Magazine, purchased the property through his Rank Group PA. However, he has declined to comment on the purchase.
The property was built for the family trust of Brisbane businessman Denis Mackenzie, who founded IT company CSG Ltd. It was completed by local builder Triple Star in December 2015 and designed by prominent Auckland architect Lawrence Sumich. Arrowtown-based Luxury Real Estate NZ agent Terry Spice is believed to have brokered the sale.
Spice had also brokered the Australian family’s purchase of the site in 2012, when it was sold for $2.85m, making it Queenstown’s dearest ever section. At the time, Spice said the site, with stunning lake and mountain views, was “the most exclusive and unique property in NZ, without question.”
According to the resource consent application, the house has five chimney stacks, formal avenues of exotic and native trees between the buildings, a sculpture garden including a 26sq m loggia between the main dwelling and the spa building, and a driveway about 180m long.
The spa building includes a gym, relaxation area, indoor and outdoor spa, sauna and bathroom. According to Sumich’s website, the client “wished for a resort-style retreat to share the beauty of Queenstown with his family and friends.”
“The challenge, architecturally, was to provide the number of rooms required without overpowering the sensitivity of the site that is perched above the 12 Mile Delta.”