Up in the heights

Ski fields on your doorstep and rugged alpine countryside all around. Find the pinnacle of luxury living in New Zealand’s South Island.

It’s hard not to be moved by the landscape of New Zealand’s Cardrona Valley. With Mount Cardrona as the towering backdrop, the Central Otago countryside is enchanting, epic and untamed.

“First-time visitors will often stop the car to marvel at the golden light playing on the tussock in the warmer months or the grandeur of the snow-covered mountains in winter,” says Chris Morton, managing partner of Morton Property Group, the team behind new residential village Mt Cardrona Station.

Just 45 minutes from Queenstown, Mt Cardrona Station is set on an elevated plateau overlooking the valley, providing luxury living and an adventurous lifestyle for residents.

“You can walk for five minutes or five hours,” says Morton of the Station’s vast 400 hectares of high country, where 30 kilometres of trails invite hiking and mountain biking in the warmer months. Come winter, the world-class ski field of Cardrona Alpine Resort is just 20 minutes up the hill.

The village is well placed for lower-altitude exploration, too, with the town of Cardrona and 20 wineries within an hour’s drive.

But Mt Cardrona Station has its own entertainment. At the heart of the residential village, you’ll find a restaurant, gym, fitness spaces, members-only club rooms and outdoor hot pools, as well as remote-working facilities. “It will be a place for community members to get together, with different events like movie nights,” says Morton.

Sites range from 280 to 800 square metres. They’re available as land only or house and land packages, with design guidelines across the development to ensure the architecture has regard for the surrounding landscape.

“A lot of the houses look directly up at snow-covered peaks,” says Morton. “In this crisp alpine air, the mountains feel so big and close – like you could reach out and touch them.”

Visit mtcardronastation.co.nz