Amid the breathtaking landscape of New Zealand's South Island is Mount Algidus, a working farm covering 53,000 acres.
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It is an understatement to describe Mount Algidus, a 53,000-acre cattle station on New Zealand's South Island, as isolated. It occupies the high country between two great rivers and the Southern Alps.
The last few miles of the two-hour drive from Christchurch require a steady nerve and a 4x4, but even that track comes to an end at the banks of the mighty Wilberforce. To make the crossing to the station, you need to climb into a powerful tractor or perch in its trailer for the lurching journey across the pebble-strewn flats and the icy channels of the river. Upstream on the far bank is a grassy plateau with one of the most breathtaking views in the world, and it is here that the owners of the station, Jane and Jamie Smiley, have built a house.
Mount Algidus is very much a working station supporting 2,000 head of Aberdeen Angus cattle and a flock of 2,000 Romney cross-breed sheep. Much hard work and investment has gone into the farming enterprise since he bought the land 10 years ago. Miles of fencing and new tracks, buildings for the stock and housing for the staff all got underway before the new homestead began to take shape.
Life at Mount Algidus is ruled by the condition of the river, which makes the creation of this house a truly remarkable achievement by all involved.
Taken from the October 2015 issue of House & Garden.
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