Hosts Elaine and Graham who both have had a military career in the Royal New Zealand Navy and on retirement from the navy moved for a relaxed life in the country.
Elaine’s hobbies include gardening, wine (and can provide information on the local vineyards and wines), arts and crafts and local history.
Her ancestry of her whakapapa through Ngai Tahu (South Island Maori) can be traced back through 13 generations.
Graham was born in Pukekohe south of Auckland and later moved to Kaikohe where his father was the local traffic officer until 1974 when the family returned to England.
Graham says ‘it has taken him 31 years but he has finally come home’. All he has to do is get rid of the English accent and get his real Kiwi one back!
Graham enjoys time out on the ride on mower taking care of the grounds, and ensuring his supply of chillies is keeping those who visit the lodge entertained with the ‘hotness’ that they do provide!
We value ‘Kiwi’ friendship, hospitality and meeting new people and will endeavour to add that personal touch to whatever we do.
We want your stay to be a relaxed and enjoyable so that it will be filled with many happy memories that can be shared over a drink or two in the years to come.
The Gardens
Its a great place to take a stroll and relax with a drink in your hand and subject to the season you will be able to pick an apple, a fig or even an orange to eat as you take in the view and the serenity of the place. Stop and listen to the wind, or the wildlife around.
Planting throughout the five acre section includes a native tree area to attract the local birdlife, the vegetable garden of home grown plants growing dependent on the season.
In season the orchards provide apples, peaches, nectarines, peacharines, figs, apricots, plums, plumcots, peachcots, fejioas, tamarillos, limes, lemons, oranges and mandarins.
The compost bin recycles the waste that the hens don’t eat.
The rose gardens include Rosa Deep Secret, Diamonds are forever, Midwife, Celebration, Elina, Jean Ducher, Winchester Catheral, Mary Rose, Sharifa Asma, to Madame Alfred Carriere, and Wedding Day on the pergola of which different varietities bloom from spring through to late autumn intertwined with wisteria and clematis.
The Family Pets
The lodge also has it’s own family pets: Ben, and Snowy the cat.
The free range chooks provide eggs when in the laying season. Perfect poached eggs for breakfast!
The fish pond contains comets, fantails, and sometimes frogs. You may hear the frogs singing in the evenings around the pond and gardens.
The Wildlife
Wildlife ranges from the paradise ducks, blue herons, plovers, pheasants, lorikeets, sparrows, mynas, and kingfishers (kotare) to name but a few of our daily ‘non-human’ visitors.
Our ‘non-human visitors’ each have their own name: Mr and Mrs Legs the blue heron who visits the room patios on a regular basis, Mr and Mrs Paradise duck who have made their home on the birdbath at the front of the lodge and reluctantly share with Mr and Mrs Legs.
Bed and Breakfeast Association
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