It’s the little orange and red robots with googly eyes that steal the show. Back and forth, the Roomba-like contraptions silently glide, gobbling up blades of emerald-green, pillow-soft grass with seemingly unending appetites.

With names like David Mowie and Mowzart, it’s their job to keep the lawns at Flockhill perfectly manicured – and every time they go past, my partner squeals with delight; they’re that cute.

That David Mowie and Mowzart can stand out is even more impressive considering Flockhill’s scenery. Tucked among native bush in the mighty Southern Alps -featured in film series like The Lord of the Rings and Narnia – in the heart of New Zealand’s South Island, everything has a cinematic, almost CGI sheen.

A perfect example is the sunrise. Pink clouds float in a lavender-coloured sky, glowing brighter as the sun gets higher.

The surrounding mountains and hills – heavily wrinkled, as if a giant has run her fingers through them – change colour too. They slowly brighten from dark chocolate to a fiery, almost peachy orange. These same mountains will be dusted in powdered sugar-esque, white snow in the early winter months, deepening to look more like a slathering of vanilla frosting by spring.

Going back to cinematic comparisons, stays at Flockhill were a major prize in the $800,000 2024 Golden Globes goodie bags.

General manager Andrew Cullen says they’ve had a few celebrity guests since then – and one of the things many members of the glitterati have enjoyed is the opportunity to relax and walk around without prying paparazzi.

But you don’t have to be an A-lister to enjoy the stunning scenery and feeling of rustic remoteness, as my partner and I discover.

Located on a 36,000-acre sheep station, Flockhill is about a 90-minute drive north-west of Christchurch, passing sights like Castle Hill (where the climactic scenes at the end of the 2005 Tilda Swinton and Liam Neeson-starring film version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe were shot) and aptly named Cave Stream.

Many guests also arrive via a 25-minute flight with Christchurch Helicopters, soaring above the tussocky Canterbury Plains, the braided Waimakariri River and snowy peaks.

Connected by winding, asphalt paths – for some reason, I’m vaguely reminded of 1950s gated community aesthetics – each of Flockhill’s seven, two-bedroom alpine chalet-style wooden villas is perfectly positioned to take in the views of the surrounding mountains, which rise up at the edge of a vast carpet of green lawn.

The villas, which opened in December 2024, are also positioned for optimal sunrise and sunset views, which can even be seen from the soft, king beds; yes, David Mowie and Mowzart can be seen from bed, too.

Beyond the scenery, in-room features include heated floors, Nodi wool-and-bamboo silk rugs, alpaca blankets, full kitchens and enough leather furniture for Bilbo Baggins to invite around quite a few unexpected party guests.

A smell of fresh-cut flowers hangs in the crisp air. Even by New Zealand’s high standards, each breath feels cleansing.

What my partner and I most appreciate, though, is the silence. There’s a bucolic sense of peace – time really does seem to move more slowly here.

This isn’t to say there aren’t adrenaline-soaked things to do. Activities available on request and displayed on a chalkboard in front of a picturesque red wooden barn near the villas include cycling, hiking to a nearby waterfall, mustering sheep with Flockhill’s shepherds, ATV tours, horse riding, a guided expedition through Cave Stream and more.

We opt for a gin tasting one afternoon. It’s a tiki tour of New Zealand, starting with Waiheke Distilling Co – from Waiheke Island near Auckland – and working our way down to The Source, from the Cardrona Valley near the bottom of the South Island.

As we sip our drinks in the bar area – located in the main building where guests also check in, with floor-to-ceiling windows, clean lines and an enormous fireplace that serves as the centrepiece – cares seem to melt away.

activities – like billiards, backgammon and chess – can be found in a cosy, red wooden cottage dating to 1919 that used to house workers toiling away in a nearby coal mine. The plush leather couches and cottagecore aesthetics, seemingly straight from Taylor Swift’s Folklore, also make it a great place to read or listen to the vintage record player.

‘There’s a real untouched feeling of being in the middle of nowhere,’ says Taylor Cullen, head chef at on-site restaurant Sugarloaf, describing what makes Flockhill’s simplicity so pleasurable. That he and Andrew Cullen share a surname is no coincidence: Taylor is Andrew’s son.

There’s also simple pleasure in soaking in the warm water of the large porcelain tub in our villa’s bathroom. Each villa has one, complemented by twin sinks, cult Kiwi brand Sans (ceuticals) toiletries, waffle weave Diamonds cotton bathrobes and walk-in showers with rainfall shower heads and built-in footrests.

Another simple pleasure comes from visiting the veggie garden and two cosy greenhouses. Only a few steps across from the villas, these are open for guests to explore. The warmth inside is nothing short of glorious.

Taylor and his team use the produce from the greenhouses in the meals they make, which are included in stays. Other locally sourced ingredients include beef from Flockhill Station itself and fish from surrounding alpine lakes and rivers.

Taylor selects the produce himself – and even helped design the spacious, open-plan restaurant he cooks in. Named ‘Sugarloaf’ after a nearby mountain, he’s coy about what celebrities he’s cooked for. He smiles when asked if they are recognisable names.

Taylor, previously of Sydney restaurant Chiswick, says the idea is guests won’t eat the same thing twice during a stay – unless requested.

‘It’s a chance to showcase what we’re about,’ he says. ‘We’re showcasing food from right here.’

Flockhill’s isolation is no barrier to the menu’s creativity. For one lunch, I have chicken soup with buckwheat noodles and fermented miso chilli, while my partner opts for a burger with duck fat chips.

A dinner begins with venison tartare and fresh-baked ciabatta with hand-churned butter, leading to mains of roast duck with cherries – grown by a man named Nigel on a neighbouring farm – and mushrooms dried earlier that day on the back porch, infused with fermented soybeans (called natto) and drizzled with spicy xo seafood sauce.

Meals are cooked in front of guests on an open fire. The fire is one of Taylor’s favourite features.

‘It’s a source of inspiration and energy. It provides a wild undertone of the wilderness while you sit in a comforting dining room,’ he says of the contrast with the restaurant, which, like the bar, also has floor-to-ceiling windows offering expansive views of the grounds and mountains beyond.

Taylor also shares grown-up versions of his Kiwi childhood treats. One example is a dessert of Jelly Tip fruit ice cream made with Flockhill-grown fruit. The ice cream stirs up memories of a simpler time.

‘It’s just such a special location here,’ Taylor says.

Outside, it’s a cool evening. So many stars twinkle overhead that the mountains glow faintly.

There’s just the slightest of breezes, carrying on it the slightest whiff of smoke from a roaring outdoor fire pit.

As we walk back to our villa, we notice a pair of what look like little wooden doghouses. But it’s not dogs resting inside: it’s David Mowie and Mowzart.