The land initially belonged to the Deans brothers, whose homestead is Riccarton House in Riccarton.
William Derisley Wood leased the land and built what became known as Wood's Mill.
The weir in the Avon River was built in the 19th century and forms the Mona Vale mill pond, which still exists today.

Frederick Waymouth and his wife Alice purchased four acres of land and had a homestead built in 1899–1900, designed by architect Joseph Maddison.
Waymouth, who called the homestead Karewa, was the Managing Director of Canterbury Frozen Meats.
Maddison was a well-known Christchurch architect, who amongst other buildings designed the freezing works in the Christchurch suburb of Belfast.
It is thought that this connection between Waymouth and Maddison led to this commission.

Waymouth sold the property to Annie Quayle Townend in 1905, who renamed it to Mona Vale after her mother's house in Tasmania.
She was the daughter of a wealthy Canterbury run-holder, George Moore of Glenmark Station.
She was his only surviving daughter and he had bequeathed her one million pounds, apparently making her New Zealand's richest woman at the time.
Townend added nine acres of land to the property and had a gate house built just off Fendalton Road.
After the New Zealand International Exhibition, held in Hagley Park, finished in 1907, she purchased the exhibitions fernery including its plants and had it reassembled at Mona Vale.
The present collection of ferns were supplied by Landcare Research in Lincoln, the Christchurch Botanic Gardens and the private collection of the late Arthur Ericson.
Townend also added the bathhouse to the property.
She died in 1914.

In 1939 it was bought by Tracy Gough, and in 1941 by the firm, Gough, Gough and Hamer.
Tracy Gough added to the beauty of the gardens by having a lily pond built and having rhododendrons and azaleas and many more exotic trees planted in the gardens.

The property was sold in 1962 to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints following the death of Gough, Gough and Hamer founder Tracy Gough.
When the church wanted to sell Mona Vale to a New Zealand company intending to subdivide the property and to demolish the homestead, a public outcry resulted in community fund-raising.
The Christchurch City Council and the Riccarton Borough Council bought Mona Vale in June 1969 for the purpose of turning it into a public park.
The purchase of Mona Vale is credited to Christchurch mayor Ron Guthrey.

Until the 2010 Canterbury earthquake, the homestead was operated as a restaurant, café and function centre, often used for weddings.
The building closed due to earthquake damage.
It was officially reopened by Christchurch City Councillor Jamie Gough, great grandson of the former owner Tracy Thomas Gough, on 28 November 2016 following a two-year, $3.2 million repair and restoration.
The Christchurch Civic Trust awarded a heritage renovation award in 2017 for the earthquake repair works.
The land initially belonged to the Deans brothers, whose homestead is Riccarton House in Riccarton. William Derisley Wood leased the land and built what became known as Wood's Mill. The weir in the Avon River was built in the 19th century and forms the Mona Vale mill pond, which still exists today.
Frederick Waymouth and his wife Alice purchased four acres of land and had a homestead built in 1899–1900, designed by architect Joseph Maddison. Waymouth, who called the homestead Karewa, was the Managing Director of Canterbury Frozen Meats. Maddison was a well-known Christchurch architect, who amongst other buildings designed the freezing works in the Christchurch suburb of Belfast. It is thought that this connection between Waymouth and Maddison led to this commission.
Waymouth sold the property to Annie Quayle Townend in 1905, who renamed it to Mona Vale after her mother's house in Tasmania. She was the daughter of a wealthy Canterbury run-holder, George Moore of Glenmark Station. She was his only surviving daughter and he had bequeathed her one million pounds, apparently making her New Zealand's richest woman at the time. Townend added nine acres of land to the property and had a gate house built just off Fendalton Road. After the New Zealand International Exhibition, held in Hagley Park, finished in 1907, she purchased the exhibitions fernery including its plants and had it reassembled at Mona Vale. The present collection of ferns were supplied by Landcare Research in Lincoln, the Christchurch Botanic Gardens and the private collection of the late Arthur Ericson. Townend also added the bathhouse to the property. She died in 1914.
In 1939 it was bought by Tracy Gough, and in 1941 by the firm, Gough, Gough and Hamer. Tracy Gough added to the beauty of the gardens by having a lily pond built and having rhododendrons and azaleas and many more exotic trees planted in the gardens. 
The property was sold in 1962 to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints following the death of Gough, Gough and Hamer founder Tracy Gough. When the church wanted to sell Mona Vale to a New Zealand company intending to subdivide the property and to demolish the homestead, a public outcry resulted in community fund-raising. The Christchurch City Council and the Riccarton Borough Council bought Mona Vale in June 1969 for the purpose of turning it into a public park. The purchase of Mona Vale is credited to Christchurch mayor Ron Guthrey.
Until the 2010 Canterbury earthquake, the homestead was operated as a restaurant, café and function centre, often used for weddings. The building closed due to earthquake damage. It was officially reopened by Christchurch City Councillor Jamie Gough, great grandson of the former owner Tracy Thomas Gough, on 28 November 2016 following a two-year, $3.2 million repair and restoration. The Christchurch Civic Trust awarded a heritage renovation award in 2017 for the earthquake repair works.
Mona Vale, Christchurch