The Retreat
Designed with no compromises on luxury, and hidden in mature native bush on the edge of the Mahurangi River. Slide back the glass doors and the living room becomes the deck.
A full-length wrap-around timber deck under a louvre roof you can open to the stars or close against the rain, with an outdoor heater for cooler evenings. Unwind in your private spa pool under a clear night sky, fire up the BBQ, or make a coffee and watch the mist come off the river.
Fully self-contained and open plan, with expansive glass doors onto the deck. A plush lounge, and a compact kitchenette with everything two people need: Nespresso machine, dishwasher, induction hob, microwave and fridge, with the pots, pans and wine glasses already there. Double glazing and a heat pump keep it comfortable in any season.
A separate bedroom — not a mezzanine, not a fold-out — with a queen bed, cotton linen, electric blankets and black-out blinds, looking directly into the native canopy. The bathroom has a double-head shower and a heated towel rail, and there is a private laundry. Two cotton spa robes hang ready for the spa.
A private track winds down through the trees to the banks of the Mahurangi River. It is a tidal estuary, so the river you sit beside at high water is a very different one at low tide. There is a small jetty at the bottom, used mainly by the boats that moor there, and you are welcome to wander out on it. Picnic spots are scattered through the meadows on the way down, and a riverside walkway runs along the property boundary if you want to keep going.
Kākā, ruru (morepork), tūī, kererū, pīwakawaka and pūkeko, across twenty-four acres of manicured meadow and native bush.
Please keep food sealed and don't feed them — they are wild, and we would like them to stay that way.
Kauri, tōtara, rimu, kōwhai, mānuka, kawakawa, miro, tītoki and pūriri. Mature bush, not new planting.
There are a few rabbits, and the odd pheasant and quail. Your hosts live elsewhere on the property, well out of sight, so the house, the deck and the spa are yours alone.
A universal 7kW Type 2 charger on the outside of the house, for guests only, and there is nothing to pay. The cord reaches the driveway, and a Type 1 adapter lives in the utility shed. Plug in when you arrive and leave with a full battery.
Bore water, thoroughly filtered and UV treated on site. It comes out of the ground here and meets drinking water standards before it reaches your tap.
Fibre-fed wi-fi over most of the property, so a midweek stay can be a working one. Or leave the laptop at home. Nobody is checking.
A few things we ask of every guest, and a few the river asks of all of us. The full guide is in the folder in the house.