Our Story
The story of a historic Hari Hari property preserved & renovated for use as holiday accommodation on the West Coast of New Zealand.
Glenalmond Historic Homestead & Alpine Country Stay offers unique accommodation on the West Coast of New Zealand. Clean, comfortable, and convenient with a touch of West Coast luxe, drenched in history. London-born George Robertson (1857-1920), pictured here outside Glenalmond homestead with his family, settled in Hari Hari in the late 1800s after representing Otago in Rugby from 1880-1884. He built the three-bedroom homestead which was one of the first dwellings to be erected in the village. The homestead was named Glenalmond and today, is full of life doubling as the family home of its newest owners, Murray & Di Chesmar, who moved here from Christchurch in 2022, and the reception office for the accommodations. George continued to build additional dwellings, some of which still exist as Glenalmond accommodations today.
The property exists in a rural setting yet is a stone's throw from amenities. Ten diverse suites are split neatly across four spacious terraces, elevated above the main street of Hari Hari overlooking farmland and backed onto expansive podocarp rainforest.
Perfect for all travellers, there is something for everyone - from singles and couples to larger groups and families of all sizes.
History
London-born, George Robertson (1856-1920) migrated to New Zealand (Dunedin) in 1874 aboard the ship Hydaspes and worked as a stock and station agent. He represented Otago for rugby from 1180-1884 and in 1884 was picked to tour N.S.W in the New Zealand rugby squad – this was the first team to tour overseas. He played as a wing forward, in four test matches and scored 4 tries, two of which were scored in the last test when he was switched to the wing. After the tour, he left Dunedin for the West Coast and in 1890 was appointed teacher at Wanganui (commonly called Hendes Ferry) school. The school and district benefited by having such an educated and talented young man employed. In 1899 he married his second eldest pupil, Caroline Hende. In 1901 George and Caroline took up 197 acres of land near Okarito and on the same day, also took up a block extending from Middle Hill school reserve all the way to the cemetery and domain reserve. It was on this land that they built the three-bedroom homestead they called Glenalmond in 1902. George played an integral part in the building of a new school in Hari Hari which opened for classes in 1892 and he taught until 1899.
In 1902 George turned his hand to clearing his land and farming it, opposite Glenalmond he built sheds and yards used for early cattle sales. He fattened cattle and built up his dairy herd and was instrumental in getting the farmers together to form a cooperative dairy factory. He was elected chairman and got the new enterprise off on a sound footing. In 1906 he got some of the locals together and taught them the basics of rugby, games were played against Whataroa and Ross.
In 1906 he had the roof of the Glenalmond homestead altered into a single pyramid shape.
In August 1911 as the factory was changing to butter production, he purchased the first cream separator. His untimely death came as a shock to many, dying of an infected boil on his neck. He died in Christchurch in April 1920. His funeral was a large affair and he was the first person to be buried at the Wanganui cemetery.
GUEST BOOK
Just a few of our recent reviews...
Kirsten Ewen
Amazingly friendly service, made to feel like one of the family... 5 star! And WOW the revamped rooms are amazing highly recommend to anyone looking for accomodation on the West Coast.
Sarah Smith
We were greeted by the nicest lady who made us feel welcomed in an instant . Our rooms were amazing. So modern and had all we needed. The bed was so comfy and the shower was class 😍 We absolutely loved our stay and would highly recommend it.
Melanie
Absolutely fantastic stay. Better than the pictures! Everyone slept really well. One night we cooked a tasty dinner and played games at the nice wood table. Great shower pressure and lots of counter space in the bathroom. Also, there was a lovely hike right around the corner. Would come back again.