Our Story
A Dream Shaped By Place. Our story began in 2010, when Luke and Kaye Paardekooper fell in love with the Mackenzie Basin and began looking for a place where they could create something of their own.
Overview
They found it beside Lake Pukaki. Rugged glacial moraine covered in wilding pine forest, with no roads, power or water, but with extraordinary views towards Aoraki / Mount Cook and the Southern Alps, deep quiet and a sense of possibility. After 18 months gaining approval to build, work began in 2011. Access roads were formed, services installed and a bore drilled deep beneath the estate to reach a pure artesian water supply.From the outset, Luke and Kaye wanted the Retreat to feel crafted rather than simply built. They were closely involved in its design, construction, interiors, landscaping and gardens, establishing an approach that continues today.
Living The Story
In 2012, Luke and Kaye left Wellington and moved onto the land while the Pukaki Homestead was under construction. For 8 months they lived onsite, building the small Musterers Hut as their bedroom and a garden shed as their kitchen and living room. The bathroom was outside, much of the land was still undeveloped and almost everything around them was a work in progress. There was a pioneering spirit to those early years, with family helping with planting, landscaping, tiling and the many practical jobs involved in transforming bare land into a home. In 2013, the Pukaki Homestead welcomed its first guests. That hands-on beginning still shapes the Retreat today. Family ownership, personal hospitality, craftsmanship and a close relationship with the estate remain an important part of its character.
A Place That Kept Evolving
One discovery led naturally to another. Gardens and an orchard were established to provide fresh produce. Ashley Mackenzie Villa followed the Homestead, creating a private place for guests to stay and experience the landscape. Then came the night sky. Living beneath the exceptionally dark skies of the Mackenzie revealed another dimension to the place. The Pukaki Observatory and Wine Cellar grew from a desire to share those skies, combining astronomy and science with the intimacy of a purpose-built observatory beneath a retractable roof. Over time came more villas, The Moraine, gardens, walking trails, destination weddings, wellness experiences and an increasingly strong food story centred on the estate and the producers of the surrounding region. The Retreat was never created from a fixed master plan. It has evolved gradually, with each new idea responding to the land, the seasons and what we have learned from living here.
Fire, Regeneration and Renewal
On 30 August 2020, a major wildfire swept through the wilding pine forest surrounding the Retreat. The buildings were protected, but the fire dramatically altered parts of the landscape revealing the beautiful lumpiness of the glacial moraine. Within days, family, friends and the Retreat team had begun clearing damaged timber, mulching and replanting. What began as recovery became an opportunity to rethink the estate landscape. New gardens and planting have continued to emerge from the areas affected by the fire, strengthening biodiversity and creating a landscape that is increasingly diverse, productive and resilient. Regeneration has become part of our story and reinforced something we already understood: creating this Retreat also brings a responsibility to care for the place that sustains it.
Still Evolving
More than a decade after the first road was formed, Mt Cook Lakeside Retreat continues to evolve. New ideas, gardens, experiences and spaces continue to take shape, but the original intention remains remarkably simple: to share this extraordinary part of New Zealand in a way that gives guests privacy, time and a genuine connection with place. There will always be another garden to plant, another idea to explore and another chapter to the story.
Our Story In Print
The story of Mt Cook Lakeside Retreat has also been captured in a book that follows the journey from finding the land to creating the estate that exists today. It tells the story behind the buildings and gardens: living on site during construction, finding water, welcoming the first guests, developing the villas and observatory, the people who helped along the way, the challenges of the 2020 fire and the ideas that have continued to shape the Retreat. More than a story about building a destination, it is about family, resilience, creativity and the relationship that develops between people and place.
View All Photos
