Mike Gray can still remember the lump in his throat when he opened the sliding doors and saw the elegant, furnished dining room for the first time with the lights on and table set.
"That was when we were able to say we had done it,'' he said.
Tokarahi Homestead, in North Otago, was built in 1878 for Alexander McMaster, of Maerewhenua Station.
The front half of the large, single-storey stone homestead was added on in the late 1880s as a wedding present for Alexander McMaster, whose father built the house, when he married Annie Reid from the wealthy Elderslie estate.
When the Grays began restoration in 1997, many people thought they were "nuts'', Mr Gray recalled.
The house was in disrepair - the roof leaked, there was rising damp and 14 possums called the place home.
But the Grays looked past the negatives to the "good bones'' of the house, and embarked on their restoration project.
Attending auctions and visiting antique dealers to outfit the house with furniture was a challenge Lyn Gray relished. They seemed to have "the most incredible amount of luck'' with everything they bought either fitting perfectly or matching the colour scheme.
The decor was another challenge but, 10 years on, there was nothing they wanted to change, Mrs Gray said.
The couple opened their home as accommodation, offering a country heritage experience, as well as catering for tours and offering afternoon teas.
While Mr Gray had not previously been interested in the Victorian era, he got "totally absorbed'' by the history of the district.
Mrs Gray recalled once welcoming a busload of travel agents, while dressed in Victorian costume.
As they alighted, her bag ``rang'' and the travel agents burst into laughter at the sight of a Victorian lady answering her phone.
In 2002, Tokarahi Homestead achieved the first five-star Qualmark grading for an accommodation establishment in the Waitaki district. The grading rated the homestead as "exceptional''.
The following year, Tokarahi Homestead won the premier award at the Whitestone Waitaki tourism awards in Oamaru.
The 10 years had gone "far too quickly'' and the couple were now trying to "slow it down'' and hold on to their last moments at Tokarahi, Mrs Gray said.
Leaving was not going to be easy but they were buoyed by the fact it was going to be used as a family home.
"They absolutely love the heritage. That's what attracted them,'' Mrs Gray said.
The couple felt privileged they had had the opportunity to do what many people wished they could.
It had been exciting stepping outside their comfort zone and not only surviving the project but coming through and being proud of it, Mr Gray added.
Displaying a box of emails, cards and letters, Mrs Gray said they had made friends and met "hundreds'' of people from around the world.
Some of the nicest times had been hosting family occasions - not necessarily guests staying in the house but local people coming for a special event where they relaxed in the surroundings.
The couple will leave behind material on the history of the house and its occupants, and include their history as the third family to live in the homestead.
They were not rushing into buying another property, Mr Gray said. Settlement is at the end of next month.
Mr Gray is a teacher at Waitaki Girls High School and the couple will stay in North Otago in the meantime.
