Our History
William Teschemaker, an English gentleman of Dutch descent bought 760 acres of land at Taipo Hill. Teschemaker was one of North Otago’s early run holders, an educated and hardworking man whose life is significant to the history of North Otago.
The Teschemaker property, an impressive 28-bedroom homestead was built by Currie & Murray masons with whitestone limestone quarried in Oamaru. The grand home was surrounded by lawns and plantations of English trees. Little was recorded about Teschemakers as he was a humbly private person. While he was not a particularly public person, he served a term as Provincial Councillor and was also an appointed Justice of Peace. He was the director of the New Zealand Refrigeration Company. After Teschemaker died in 1888, his estate was managed by his son until it was sold.
Patrick and Peter McCarthy, who were of Irish descent, bought the property. The family were devout Catholics. In 1911 they gifted the Teschemakers homestead building and approximately twenty-five acres of land to the Dominican Congregation of Sisters in Dunedin as their holiday home. The sisters decided to establish a girls Catholic boarding school in this enormous Teschemakers Property instead.
On 24th March 1912, the grand opening of St Patrick's school was celebrated. Over the years the college grew until it could cater for one hundred and forty girls. The students came from well-to-do families. The supportive and devoted parents made benevolent and generous contributions to the school’s facilities, most notably was the contributions to building of the chapel of “Our Lady of the Rosary” within the school grounds.
Electricity was installed in 1913, tge chapel opened in 1916, the telephone introduced in 1918, water was laid on in 1920, the convent was extended in 1923, a new laundry was built in 1951, the swimming pool was opened in 1955, and new classrooms were added in 1959.
After the old dormitory burnt down in 1962, a new three-storey dormitory hostel was erected in 1963.
The small numbers that could be accommodated and the isolation of the school resulted in a decision to close the school in 1977, the remaining boarders attending school at St Thomas’ in Oamaru. The hostel at Teschemakers finally closed in 1979.
Six Dominican Sisters opened the Teschemakers Retreat and Conference Centre. From April 1994, the Centre was run and managed by a co-operative of nine people, including three Dominican Sisters. The Centre was a venue for retreats, healing, prayer, contemplation, study and reflection, as well as developing ways of living in balanced harmony with the land, encouraging arts and crafts, promoting ecumenism, advancing the equality of men and women, addressing justice and peace issues and honouring the Treaty of Waitangi.
In 1996, the Conference Centre was closed due to staffing issues and costs of maintaining the buildings.
Dr Ochi, a doctor as well as entrepreneur purchased Teschemakers from the Dominican Sisters in 2000, with the intention of turning it into a higher academy teaching sustainable living, health sciences and organic farming. In 2003, while the main building was under-going refurbishment works, a fire broke out and badly-destroyed most of the convent and Homestead.
An identical building was subsequently rebuilt with state-of-the-art facilities. Dr Ochi passed away in 2007 before the newly rebuilt building was completed and his dream died with him.
From 2011 onwards, Teschemakers Property and its delightful peaceful grounds has passed through the hands of various private owners.
Today, the Teschemakers Resort is operated by the Azure Sapphire Group, a kiwi-owned accommodation group that provides relaxing and comfortable stays in unique, characterful locations.
This Teschemakers Property, which was once originally part of William Teschemaker’s Taipo Estate, is now used as a stylish accommodation venue for weddings and events. The lovely gardens, well-kept and luxurious rooms that property offers deserve the accolades for the tasteful and beautiful way that it has been given a new life.
