Everything
In 2015, when Chris Meehan, CEO of Winton and formerly head of the luxe Belle Property group, first eyed-off the history-rich farm Ayrburn in New Zealand’s picturesque Queenstown, he initially wanted it as a spot for his second home. Thankfully, he changed his mind. As he puts it, “I’ve got a fairly decent house down the road, I don’t need another one.” Instead, his vision for the region took on a broader scope and Ayrburn, set against the backdrop of the Remarkables mountain range, instead of hosting Meehan’s slippers and robe began its transformation into something grander: a microcosm of culture and taste that would include multiple restaurants, bars and recreation activities to become the beating heart of a new gastronomical destination.
Ayrburn, as it stands today, is a remarkable example of how history can merge the present. Meehan didn’t just want a destination; he aimed for an experience, a convergence point where heritage and innovation don’t just meet – they tango. With 11 restaurants and bars, including the soon-to-be-unveiled flagship restaurant Billy’s set to open this year, The Barrel Room, The Bakehouse, and RM’s Butcher, Ayrburn’s goals are ambitious to say the least. Thankfully, it’s got the right team to bring it all to fruition.
The current operations are in themselves a major draw card for the region. The Woolshed, depending on the season, offers alfresco or fireside dining for 160 guests. The Burr Bar, once the homestead of the farm’s founding owner, William Paterson, provides a cozy atmosphere for whisky sips. The Manure Room, a former secret drinking den during Prohibition, now hosts wine tastings featuring the exclusive Ayrburn range of wines, including one of the most refreshing rosés you’ll have the luck to taste. These wines, developed in collaboration with Master of Wine Sophie Parker-Thomson and winemaker Jody Pagey, use grapes sourced from Central Otago.
Executive Chef Richard Highnam is at the helm of Ayrburn’s culinary offerings, focusing on local and sustainably farmed produce. Ingredients such as wild-caught seafood, beef, lamb, and greens are sourced from local suppliers, ensuring a fresh and authentic taste.
In addition to the dining venues, Ayrburn features The Dairy, a gelato and sorbet bar, and The Dell, a large lawn area hosting farmers’ markets and outdoor concerts. Future plans include the opening of a 25-room boutique hotel and a flagship restaurant named Billy’s in 2024. The development will also see the addition of The Barrel Room, The Bakehouse, and RM’s Butcher, expanding the culinary experiences available to visitors.
From the development side of things, Meehan shares that their approach to developing the property was one that wouldn’t forgo heritage in favour of modern hedonism. Ayrburn is, Meehan says, a delicate dance between preservation and innovation. “You wouldn’t get these old buildings to qualify to current codes,” he explains, detailing how they dismantled and rebuilt, infusing modern sturdiness into immersive archives. The charm? Utterly intact. The Manure Room’s wobbly roof? A meticulous replica of its original self. It’s a place where modern tech from Hollywood set builders (yes, you heard that right) collides with 19th-century architecture, creating spaces that trick time.
“We had a really talented team of artisans,” Meehan explains. “We were lucky in a way that we had that Hollywood strike because we all these tech and set building guys were looking for work. So we got them here. A lot of the roofs, for example, are brand new but they were brilliant about making things look old and weathered which isn’t easy to do. If you step outside, you can see the roof of The Manure room is quite wobbly. That’s how it looked originally. So we lasered it and measured it cut the steel to the same contour.”
And the soul of Ayrburn? It lies in its ability to morph from a whisper of the past into a shout of the present. From sunny lunches to the dimly lit allure of the Burr Bar, the place is a chameleon of experiences. There’s a whiff of rebellion in the air, too. These walls that once might have echoed with the bleats of Clydesdale and ram now resonate with the clinking of wine glasses and the murmur of satisfied diners.
Meehan’s vision for Ayrburn is a blend of audacity and reverence. It’s not about erecting structures; it’s about crafting legacies. “We think over time…we can be the number one most visited place in Queenstown,” says Meehan.
