Walter Peak farm history: from high country station to conservation story

A coin toss in the late 1850s helped decide who got Queenstown and who got Walter Peak, but the story of this remarkable place began long before then. Walter Peak farm history stretches from Māori journeys along the shores of Lake Whakatipu to more than a century of high country sheep farming, and now to an ambitious conservation effort that continues to reshape the landscape. RealNZ has operated Walter Peak High Country Farm since 1987, giving us a close connection to the people, land and stories that have shaped the station. Here’s how Walter Peak evolved from a remote high country run into the working farm and conservation story visitors experience today.

Before European settlement: Māori use of the Lake Whakatipu shore

Long before European settlers arrived, the sheltered bays along Lake Whakatipu's western shore served as resting points for Māori travelling through the region. Lake Whakatipu, known in te reo Māori as Whakatipu Waka-Māui, was a travel corridor used on moa-hunting and pounamu (greenstone) gathering expeditions. These were practical journeys through dramatic country, and the lake's shores provided shelter and access to resources along the way. The land that is now Walter Peak Station was part of this wider web of movement through the southern high country, long before the first European runholder arrived.

The coin toss that started it all: European settlement in the 1850s

In the late 1850s, two early settlers, William Gilbert Rees and Nicholas Von Tunzelman, are said to have tossed a coin to decide who would take the land on each side of Lake Whakatipu. Rees won and chose the eastern shore, which became the site of Queenstown. Von Tunzelman drew the western shore, the harder lot, and set about establishing what would become Walter Peak Station.

The naming of the land tells its own story. Rees named Cecil Peak and Walter Peak after his son, Cecil Walter Rees. He named Frankton after his wife, Frances. These place names have stuck for over 160 years and they are still on the map today. Von Tunzelman's early years on the western shore were tough. The winters were hard, stock losses were significant, and the isolation was real. But the land itself was rich, and the station's future would prove it.

The Mackenzie era: building a high country empire (1880s to 1960s)

The station's most formative period came under the Mackenzie family, who farmed Walter Peak for around 80 years. Hugh Mackenzie developed innovative fencing methods suited to high country terrain, which allowed the station to grow well beyond the scale most would have thought possible in that landscape.

At its peak, Walter Peak Station ran 40,000 sheep across 170,000 acres with a staff of around 50 people. The wool produced here was among the finest in the world. Merino fleece from Walter Peak topped wool sales in both New Zealand and Australia three times during the 1930s, and the station's wool won recognition at the Wembley Exhibition. These were not small achievements; they were the product of generations of knowledge about how to farm one of the most demanding landscapes in the southern hemisphere.

The Colonel's Homestead was built in 1908 as a wedding gift for Colonel Peter Mackenzie. The gardens surrounding it were started earlier, in the 1870s, with a Sycamore and an Oak that are now among the oldest introduced trees in the region and are protected today. A native Kauri was added in the 1960s. All three trees are still standing, and guests walking the gardens can see them.

The Colonel's Homestead and gardens: what stands today

The Colonel's Homestead was built in 1908 as a wedding gift and carefully reconstructed after a fire in 1977. The reconstruction retained the exterior character of the original building, so the homestead guests dine in today carries the feel of the Mackenzie era even if much of the interior was rebuilt. It is the setting for the Walter Peak Gourmet BBQ Dining, making full use of the gardens and the homestead's historic rooms. Today, the historic homestead is also one of Queenstown’s most distinctive dining settings. Our Walter Peak restaurant guide explains the dining experience and what to expect when you visit.

The gardens date from the 1870s. The protected Sycamore and Oak are two of the oldest introduced trees in the Queenstown region. Guests arrive at the homestead via the TSS Earnslaw, a 51-metre, coal-fired steamship built in 1912. Stepping off the Earnslaw and walking up to the homestead through those gardens is one of the more genuinely historical arrivals you can make anywhere in New Zealand.

RealNZ at Walter Peak: the working farm and conservation mission

RealNZ secured the lease on Walter Peak in 1987 and has operated the working farm ever since, a 37-year relationship with the land that shapes everything we do here. The focus has shifted progressively over that time, from farming alone to a combination of farming and active conservation.

In 2014, RealNZ launched the Walter Peak Land Restoration Project: clearing 155 hectares of invasive non-native trees and weeds, planting pockets of native bush, and building a public walkway along the foreshore to Beach Point. The conservation work is ongoing and includes wilding pine removal, re-planting, soil health improvement, and organic farming practices across the station.

The working farm is still exactly that: a working farm. Shearing demonstrations use the New Zealand blade-shearing technique, performed by working guides who do this for real, not for show. Dog mustering involves heading dogs and huntaways on a station that once ran 40,000 sheep. The scale has changed; the knowledge has not.

RealNZ holds Qualmark Enviro Gold status, one of New Zealand's highest environmental accreditations, and in 2024 received the Air New Zealand Supreme Tourism Award, the top award in the New Zealand tourism industry. These are independent assessments of the conservation work, not self-promotion.

How to visit Walter Peak Farm today

Walter Peak is on the opposite shore of Lake Whakatipu from Queenstown and is only accessible by water. The TSS Earnslaw departs the Queenstown waterfront daily and is included in all Walter Peak experience packages. The crossing itself is part of the experience: the Earnslaw is the only coal-fired passenger steamship still operating in the Southern Hemisphere, and you can visit the stoker room and watch the engineers at work. The journey across has its own story too. Our guide to what to expect on the TSS Earnslaw covers the ship’s history, working steam engines and what happens during the Lake Whakatipu crossing.

If you’re planning a visit, our complete guide to Walter Peak covers how to get there, what to do and how to choose between the different farm, dining and horse trekking experiences.

Current experience options and prices:

• Walter Peak Farm Tours: Sheep mustering and blade-shearing demonstrations, plus time in the gardens.
• Walter Peak Garden to Table Experience:A dining experience built around produce grown and raised on the farm.
• Walter Peak Gourmet BBQ Dining: Gourmet BBQ dinner at the Colonel's Homestead, with a return cruise on the TSS Earnslaw.
• Walter Peak Horse Treks: Guided treks across the station with views of Lake Whakatipu and the surrounding ranges.

Some areas of the farm and homestead are wheelchair accessible, though the terrain across parts of the station may not suit all mobility levels. If you have specific accessibility questions, contact RealNZ before you book.

Dining experiences book out quickly in peak summer periods. Booking ahead is strongly recommended.

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Frequently asked questions about Walter Peak Station

The full picture

Walter Peak farm history runs from Māori travel corridors and a colonial coin toss to 80 years of Mackenzie-era farming and nearly four decades of RealNZ conservation work. The station today is both a working farm and an active restoration project, and the Colonel's Homestead at its centre has been welcoming visitors for over a century. If you want to understand what New Zealand's high country looked like, and what it is becoming, Walter Peak is the place to see it.