Richie McCaw and wife Gemma move family from Christchurch to Wānaka after 10 years

Gemma and Richie McCaw at the summit of Mt Richardson, Canterbury. Photo / MSC

Rugby royalty Richie McCaw and hockey star wife Gemma have decided to call quits on their time living in Christchurch, opting to travel further south for a new life in the Central Otago town of Wānaka.

Ex-Black Sticks star Gemma took to Instagram over the weekend to announce the news, revealing that the family of five would be moving after 10 years of living in Christchurch.

“It’s time to say goodbye to Christchurch as we embark on a new adventure in Wānaka. For the past 10 years, this city has been my home,” Gemma posted, alongside a picture of Richie and the couple’s young children at the beach.

“It’s where we welcomed our three beautiful girls into the world, and where I arrived knowing only a handful of people and now leave with lifelong friends.”

Richie McCaw and wife Gemma McCaw. Photo / George Novak

“I’ll miss so much about this city, but most of all, I’ll miss my people,” Gemma posted.

She continued by noting the family were “very excited” about the move and a subsequent “lifestyle full of adventure that awaits”.

“It’s everything we’ve dreamed of for raising our girls, and we can’t wait to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world.”

The couple welcomed their third daughter, Ella Mae McCaw in April last year. Baby Ella joined sisters Charlotte and Grace, born in 2018 and 2021 respectively.

While Gemma was born in Tauranga, Richie was raised in Oamaru and spent much of his rugby career playing for the Crusaders.

Gemma moved to Christchurch with her now-husband in 2014, with the pair eventually marrying on January 14, 2017, at The Olive Grove in Wānaka.

Before they tied the knot, the Herald reported that the high-profile pair had splashed out on a spectacular $2.5 million, five-bedroom family home in an upmarket part of Christchurch.

In October 2023 the Herald reported the pair were building a new multimillion-dollar riverside mansion at Hāwea Flat, which started construction last year. The Wānaka property is 12,670sq m, with a land value cited by Queenstown Lakes District Council of $1.6 million.

Consent documents show plans for Richie and Gemma's new house in Wanaka.

Planning documents seen by the Herald last year showed plans for a “large single-storey dwelling with simple gable roof forms” in a high wind zone.

“The materials proposed are natural schist stone, vertical cedar shiplap timber and Espan 340 profile Coloursteel roofing on a 35-degree pitch,” according to a report by an urban designer and landscape architect.