Sandy Bay Cabins in the Far North

Sandy Bay Cabins

The east coast bays and coves of Northland are bays of white sand, gentle waves and few people. Sandy Bay Cabins are on rolling farmland, not quite on the coast but walking distance if you wish. The encampment is at present made up of two off the grid cabins, and a larger cabin set a little way apart, where there is not just electricity but also cooking facilities, a fridge and a shower.

The cabins are an act in progress. The area has been developed with a view to expansion and the two smaller cabins - as cute and appealing as you could wish,- are side by side on a grassy plain, where easily there might be five or six cabins at next glance. These cabins face a small stand of native forest where the tall trees predominate but the forest floor is easily accessible with a small stream running through the forest valley.


The larger cabin is timber lined, with a porch to sit on and take in the views, the forest, the sunset, or the well looked after garden out front.

The encampment lends itself to family entertainment. The pizza oven is set alongside a man-made pond. There is a waterside , canoes for a short lap around the pond, and plenty of leaning tables for a family meal gathered around, or a late night gathering.

Outside the main cabin there is a fire bowl ready and waiting. This provides a great gathering place as dusk falls. From here it is just a short distance down the path to the shower and bath - where you can celebrate the great outdoors with views out across the rolling hills yet still private. With hot water at your fingertips for the bath and shower, it could not be easier to  take a quick shower while enjoying the forest surrounds.

This is a a great spot to relax in.  With intermittent cellphone reception it is time to relax, turn off your connections to the outside world and enjoy some time with friends and family in the great outdoors.

The Smoko Room - Okau Station

Okau Station Smoko Room

Pippy McCurdy

http://www.unusualstays.com/
http://www.stumbleuponcroatiaslovenia.com/

Strangely Sandy Bay does not appear on Google Maps, but the reason is hard to fathom. This is a unique spot with a long curve of rugged untamed sandy beach, a sea which is calm and tranquil one day, pounding with wild waves the next, a handful of baches owned by the discerning few, and fringed by a back country station  - Okau Station - off the beaten track, set up for hunters, hikers, and those who simply love to stay somewhere different.

The Smoko Room is connected to the shearing shed of Okau Station. It has been refurbished as an overnight stay and now provides comfortable, unpretentious accommodation for a couple or for a family. The large wooden table where once the shearers' meals were served is now the family hub for those who come to stay. 

Outside the large glass door is a spacious deck, a barbecue, and best of all a great view of the beach and sea just a few minutes walk across the farm and down the track.

Inside the Smoko Room the ply walls are  stencilled with typical wool bale words and markings. In one corner is a wood burner, and best of all there is plenty of good dry wood ready to go.The furniture is unpretentious,but those essential comforts are there too - a good tv with plenty of channels, a sound system, fridge, microwave, wine glasses, bottle opener ...

Just through the door from the Smoko Room is the farm's wool-shed, still very much in use. The dark oiled boards and the three shearing stands are all well looked after, ready and waiting for the next day of action.

The Smoko Room is close to Castlepoint where one or two shops and a country hotel are on hand for supplies, a change of scene, or a meal. But if it is large expanses of empty windswept beach or long walks in the hills that you like, you will have all you need with the Smoko Room as your base and Sandy Bay as your backyard.