‘We wanted to get out of the rat race’; this Geraldine beauty ticked the boxes

Tuesday, 14 July 2026

“Getting away from it all” turned out to be a great decision for Rosemary and John Shirtcliff, who bought Raukapuka Homestead 23 years ago.

Back in the early 2000s John and Rosemary Shirtcliff made a decision they wanted to get out of the rat race.

John Shirtcliff, who had a job that took him all around the country working for the NZ Rugby Union, kept an eye out on his travels for a property that might “fit the bill”, and he found one.

The property covers more than 6ha. The couple maintain all the formal and informal gardens themselves, but say it’s now time to downsize.

Sitting on the veranda on a late summer’s afternoon is one of the paybacks for all Rosemary and John’s hard work.

All of the original character features have been retained, including the stunning stained glass entry.

“This old place was a little unloved, not to put too fine a point on it, and we vacillated over it for a while, and then decided it would suit us. It was the most peculiar feeling when we walked into it - it was really comfortable.”

The reason they were surprised by their response was because they had always lived in new, modern homes, including architect-designed houses. And the magnificent Raukapuka Homestead in Geraldine dates back to 1905 - it was designed by leading Canterbury architect James Turnbull to replace an old homestead from the 1850s.

Every window frames a beautiful outlook.

Native timbers feature throughout the house - from the flooring and fireplaces to the window joinery and decorative pelmets.

“We drove up to the house, walked in and immediately we both said, ”This is our house’,” says Rosemary Shirtcliff. “We just loved it, and we felt it fitted us, even though our family had all left home. We wanted to show it love and attention, and continue the work the previous owners had done.”

John and Rosemary Shirtcliff moved to Raukapuka Homestead to escape the city 23 years ago, and have maintained the gardens themselves.

That was 23 years ago, and over the past two decades the couple has redecorated, but the five-bedroom house has not been “converted”, apart from a conservatory that replaced a veranda that had fallen off.

‘We haven’t knocked down walls’

One wall of the family living room is lined with books.

The owners say there is always somewhere to escape for a quiet moment, even when the house is full of friends and family.

“The rooms are all in their original positions. We haven’t knocked down walls. and it works incredibly well for multigenerational family living. Our families have come and lived with us a few times - our grandchildren have all grown up here over the years.

There’s a highly decorative tiled fireplace in this bedroom.

The kitchen has solid macrocarpa cabinetry.

“We have a lovely big kitchen dining area where we can eat, talk and drink and enjoy ourselves, and a lovely big family room. And there’s always somewhere else to go for peace and quiet. We’ve got modern furniture in here - a mixture of everything and everyone who walks into the house just seems to love it.”

And the magnificent 6.13ha setting is the icing on the cake - the homestead sits in a picturesque landscape, which includes formal gardens with box hedging and roses, mature trees and a stream.

The homestead garden is a riot of colour though summer.

Mature trees feature throughout the property.

The owners say the stream that flows through the property has never run dry.

But now the Shirtcliffs, who have maintained all the hedges and gardens on the 6.13ha property themselves, have decided it is time to downsize and take things a little easier.

“Although we love the gardening, we’ve got to the point where it is becoming more of a chore,” Rosemary Shirtcliff says. “I don’t want to have to get somebody in to do it, because then I won’t have the pleasure [of doing it]. It’s ready for a new generation now.”

Key character features of the 370m² homestead include the return veranda, decorative trim on the exterior and magnificent stained glass entry. There is native timber joinery and flooring throughout - and custom timber pelmets in the formal rooms.

In addition to the five bedrooms, altogether there are four lounges and two bathrooms.

Not surprisingly, not all the 6.13ha is in garden. Originally, the property was part of a much larger holding - the Raukapuka Station, one of five large South Canterbury runs.

“It went from the foothills right out to the coast,” Rosemary Shirtcliff says. “Blocks were sold off to various landowners over the years, until it became a large farm. And I believe it was subdivided again, just before we purchased this lot.”

John Shirtcliff says they have paddocks leased out. “It takes quite a few dry stock. And there’s a couple of old sheds on the place that date right back to the 1850s or ‘60s, and a cobblestone floor. We store our firewood in one of the sheds.”

And despite the size of the property, the couple say they can walk to town in 10 minutes.

The property, at Lot 3, 584 Orari Station Rd, Geraldine, Timaru, is listed with Nicky Armitage of NZ Sotheby’s International Realty, who says the property is for sale by negotiation and expected to sell “upwards of $1.75m”. “There is nothing comparable in the region.”

The adjoining lot of just over 13.6ha is also available for purchase.