Our Story

A true slice of New Zealand wilderness

Mount Cook Station is owned and operated by the Miles Family, after purchasing it in 2017 from its previous owners, brother and sister duo Donald and Catriona Burnett.

Clint and Alana, along with their three children Lukas, Peter and Tahlia live in the main homestead, while Alana’s parents Marion and David Gould, live further down the road in their beautiful house.

Animals are a big part of farm life on Mount Cook Station, with dogs, chickens, sheep and highland cow all found close by. The Highland cow (Ali) and Angus Cow (Strawberry) love bread if you are walking past, but it’s advised to stay on the other side of the fence as they do get a little enthusiastic and try and jump on you to get to the bread!

Kurt, Burn, Dexter and Grizz are farm dogs, whose favourite activity is to be out working the cattle or sheep. They also have two furry friends that live in the homestead – Kenny, the bouncy Golden Retriever and Rock the little Jack Russell. They are often seen cruising around with anyone who wants to take them on an adventure. They can be noisy and bark at strangers, but they love lots of pats and cuddles and won’t hurt anyone.

Mount Cook Station History

1864

Mount Cook Station was first settled by Scottish settlers, Andrew and Catherine Burnett in 1864. The original run of 6,000 hectares contained land stretching from the Jollie River in the south to the base of the Tasman Glacier in the north. The Tasman River was the westerly boundary.

1900s

In the early 1900s Andrew and Catherine retired to their Aorangi property at Cave and left Mount Cook Station in the managership of their second son, Thomas David Burnett (TD). By this time additional land had been added into the station (including Cox’s Downs to the south of the Jollie River and Balmoral, to the east), and it now covered over 10,000 hectares.

TD and his wife Agnes (nee Little) had two children – a son Donald, and daughter Catriona.

1941

TD Burnett, who also became the local member of Parliament, died in 1941 from complications arising from a Hydatids infection.

1950s

After his schooling years in Timaru, Donald, who never married, returned home to the station where he farmed with the help of his sister. Catriona, who married late in life, never had children.

Donald and Catriona were well known worldwide for producing extremely fine wool fibre from their Saxon merino sheep.

2000s

In the early 2000s, Mount Cook Station went through the land tenure process and was reduced in size to its current land holdings of approx 2,600 hectares. The balance of land went back to the crown and put under Department of Conservation control.

2010

Donald died aged 95.

2014

Catriona died aged 97.

2017

Leaving no heirs, the property was managed under a charitable trust until its sale in 2017 to Guide Hill Investments, a company formed by David and Marion Gould who owned and farmed Guide Hill Station further down Lake Pukaki. It was purchased for their daughter and son-in-law, Alana and Clint Miles, who live and work on the Station today.