297 Wakari Road, Helensburgh, Dunedin, Otago, 9010, New Zealand

Rockwell Hall is an historic rural hideaway where a chorus of bird song adds to the tranquility of these grounds. The serenity belies the fact that this property is just 10 minutes drive from the centre of Dunedin, this is a rare offering in the marketplace.

Rockwell Hall, the grand wooden villa, was built around 1881 and two years later the billiard room, now referred to as the ballroom, was added on and constructed of concrete. The owner, Thomas Hungerford, had a reputation for entertaining, and a flair for the ostentatious, hence the Italian fountain centrepiece.

Rockwell Hall has had a succession of owners, including William Dawson who was Speights original brewer. He added a pond stocked with trout, and there were several Speights’ annual picnic days held here.

The original carriage shed along with a cow byer still stands, where the livery boy lived in the attic. The stream that flows through the property became an early pioneering source of hydro power to the house, when a dam was built and a Pelton wheel installed (no longer connected).

Over the last 100 hundred years, Rockwell Hall has been home to just three families. The present owners have been here for 30 years. They’ve raised four children, farmed sheep, planted a pine plantation, and established an orchard.

Above all they have enjoyed the property’s propensity for entertainment; holding countless garden parties, concerts in the ballroom and numerous weddings on site. Rockwell Hall, the house and property, defies description, it is simply waiting for someone who shares the vision of those who have come before.