When my wife and I (and our then 3-year-old boy) moved to Queenstown, we looked at a range of different properties across the Basin, ultimately deciding that we wanted to be close to Arrowtown while retaining the sense of privacy and space that our previous home gave us.

During our final visit before committing to a purchase, we stayed at Millbrook. By our last day, we were feeling a bit disheartened and slightly concerned to have not yet found a property that matched our requirements and felt right.

It was over breakfast that morning that I asked, “Why haven’t we considered buying here in Millbrook?”

After an initial light-hearted response from my wife, noting that she was not yet ready to take up bowls and bingo, we discussed it further. We took the time to question our preconceived beliefs and seek the information required to understand more about it. As it happens, we knew very little, and our assumptions were quite off the mark.

We learned that we needn’t be golf pros (as we most certainly are not) to enjoy living on a magnificently beautiful and manicured 650-acre estate, especially without being responsible for maintaining a single square metre of it.

We found that most homes were owned (and occupied either permanently or part-time) by entrepreneurs, business leaders, and seasoned pontificators.

We realised that the associated membership and estate fees more than easily stacked up when all things were considered.

We started to feel excited about the prospect of living within a short walk, bike, or cart of what would become our gym, heated pool, playgrounds, restaurants, and one of the world’s best spas. We loved the idea of living in a postcard throughout each of the four distinct seasons.

In what seemed like the universe nudging us with a quiet “yes”, only a week later, the perfect home was listed in Millbrook and we jumped at the opportunity. Needless to say, we have never looked back - not least because every time we drive through those gates, our eyes are drawn to the absolutely magnificent beauty of this place we feel so fortunate to have found.

If you are yet to find the right place and have not given Millbrook due consideration, I hope that by sharing our experience, you might feel more encouraged and open-minded to doing the same.

Cam Winter of Oliver Road