Henry Reynolds built the first ‘house on the hill’ in Eureka when he was the first Manager of the huge Woodlands Estate, and it became the estate headquarters. 8 hectares round the house became orchard, flower and kitchen garden, while he supervised the draining of the Piako Swamp. In 1881 he moved to Woodlands, and 2000 acres of land including the homestead and outbuildings were sold to an Australian, Albert Suttor. That house later fell into disrepair, but when John Gordon, then manager of the Woodlands Estate, purchased the homestead block including 900 acres and a further 800 acres of peat he built a large new 12 roomed house somewhere on the site in 1898 and moved in himself in 1903. From 1908 to 1913 it was owned by the Pemberton family, and then sold to Mel Masters who lived there until 1918, when it was temporarily passed to Thomas Luxton. However, when the Masters moved back in 1922 the homestead had been burnt to the ground. Lester Masters built a new home on the site in 1929 when he married and was still there in 1984.
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