--- description: Find out why Flockhill is on TIME’s list of the World’s Greatest Places 2026. title: Flockhill: World's Greatest Places 2026 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2cc153ac6967a327/69aec4e42c8ca97e1814a2b6/FlockhillLodge_WGP_2026.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Mar 12, 2026 # Flockhill Craigieburn Valley, New Zealand by [Nora Walsh](/author/nora-walsh/) ## Nora Walsh Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Courtesy Flockhill If you’ve ever wanted a national park to yourself, [Flockhill](https://www.flockhillnz.com/ "undefined") comes close. The 36,000-acre historic sheep station, nestled in New Zealand’s Southern Alps, has become one of the South Island’s most coveted retreats. The original four-bedroom homestead is now joined by seven standalone villas, where wool throws, glowing fireplaces, and cozy indoor and outdoor living spaces open onto uninterrupted mountain views. At the heart of the lodge is Sugarloaf, an open kitchen and dining room led by New Zealand-born, European-trained chef Taylor Cullen, who returned home to run the property with his family. For the ultimate experience, book the Chef’s Table, where Cullen and his team cook over an open flame using ingredients foraged nearby, grown in the garden, or drawn from the onsite “ferment library”—coprosma berries, edible pine, wild hare, venison, and eel among them. Beyond the table, the station and surrounding area are a playground for fishing, rock-climbing, horseback riding, and e-biking. Recovery comes at the new wellness spa, with sauna, cold plunge, and hot pool facing Sugarloaf Peak. Flockhill: World’s Greatest Places 2026 ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/flockhill/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/flockhill/"},"headline":"Flockhill","datePublished":"2026-03-12T10:56:37.459Z","dateModified":"2026-03-12T10:56:37.532Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/flockhill/","keywords":["World's Greatest Places","New Zealand","list","franchise"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2cc153ac6967a327/69aec4e42c8ca97e1814a2b6/FlockhillLodge_WGP_2026.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nora Walsh","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/nora-walsh/"}],"creator":"Nora Walsh","articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2cc153ac6967a327/69aec4e42c8ca97e1814a2b6/FlockhillLodge_WGP_2026.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/worlds-greatest-places/","name":"World's Greatest Places"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/flockhill/","name":"Flockhill"}}]}] ```