Hidden Valley Lodge, Lake Poerua

 Hidden Valley Lodge - West Coast

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

This is a great place to be. An old church dragged to its resting place on the edge of Westland bush, looking out over a small lake and a green valley. What a place. So many thing to enjoy.  What I really appreciated first of all, was the way they had kept this church as a church! The long wooden table with its candelabra was charming, made even better by the use of pews as seating.   A piano was there for use,  - and a church organ! The double height space of the main lounge was grand and impressive, yet also made welcoming by the pot belly stove waitng ready ready for use with wood and coal provided. Upstairs not one, not two  but three bedrooms  if you count the amazing little hole-in-the-wall bedroom. I was so tempted to forego the everyday double bed and sleep in the hole in the wall...

Poerua Lake is a pretty lake. I was blessed with fog - nothing better than swirling fog for a little added mystery and drama in the scenery.
The church sits on the edge of a green lawn and on that lawn friendly wekas stroll happily. I suspect they are used to being fed they were so friendly.
.

The Hidden Valley retreat boasted a hot water tub  - and my mistake, I found instead the bush bath tucked in amongst native bush, looking a trifle unused and unloved. It was not until the next morning that I finally discovered the real hot tub, a beautiful wooden tub on the edge of a stream, with ample cut wood available to heat this. But no time by then. Such a shame.

Hidden Valley Lodge is a real find. A special place.  An isolated retreat. Where else will you find gumboots provided and fly fishing advice on the wall? Try it. You will love it. Remember to start the fire early to heat the hot tub.

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

Hobbit Motel Waitomo

The Hobbit Motel

Pippy McCurdy: 

 http://www.unusualstays.com/

http://www.stumbleuponcroatiaslovenia.com/

I have decided that an underground house is the best type of house. Burrowed into a hillside this is your nest. This is safe. This is secure. Other  houses standing out in the country night alone, or shoulder to shoulder under the cold city street lights, somehow fail to generate that same sense of impermeable security.

On the particular night of my visit to Middle-Earth the rain drummed incessantly on the woodland path outside. Darkness swallowed the world. Thunder rolled and then it crashed so intensely that the glass in the window vibrated. But enfolded into the ground the Hobbit House felt  inviolate and impenetrable. Maybe it was the curve of the ceiling and the walls. Certainly there was a primitive, womb-like familiarity about this place with its white-washed barriers against the world.

Hobbits of course, live underground in Middle-Earth. With their strange hairy feet they retreat into the earth. I believe Wombles also live underground. Maybe these woolly creatures are onto something!

I like the Hobbit Motel in Waitomo. I like the sack-cloth curtains. I like the hollowed tree-trunk picture frames. I especially like the curve of the ceiling. But what I like best of all is the white donkey and the kune kune pig peering at me from the roof of my Hobbit House.

The pig with its curly pointy tusks and its black shaggy coat, is amazing. But most of all I love that donkey,..  I like the way he peers over the edge of the roof and curiously observes me pushing the key into the red oval door.

 I don't really want to leave my Hobbit House.




P.S. - Most people are good people - they will respect your property. Do we really need to be greeted by a list of rules?

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

The Lighthouse Island Bay

  Island Bay Lighthouse

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

Island Bay is a small bay on the south coast of the North Island. With its fleet of small fishing boats moored close to the shore, it is picturesque and agreeable whether for swimming, strolling, fishing, or jogging. If your preference is to relax with a glass of wine and gaze at the often beautiful sunrises and sunsets, then the lighthouse is the place for you; - and it makes a fascinating place to spend a night.

 The lighthouse is a replica - not an original lighthouse, - but to be honest it is hard to tell it is not the real thing. Tall, thin, and hexagonal, its walls lean in to create ever-reducing floor plates. With a kitchen and bathroom on the ground floor, a bedroom on the second floor and the 'viewing lounge" at the top, it really has everything you could need.

The stairs are steep and narrow; - it is built for grown up visitors, not children  But for something different as a stay for two, you will have no regrets. This is an unusual, interesting and unique place to spend a night and lots of little touches make it rather special. There are chocolates by the bed; a newspaper is provided - how strange that so few places do this! There is also a delicious choice of breakfast provisions provided.

Island Bay Lighthouse is a great  place to visit and if you get up in time there is every chance you will catch a wonderful sunrise across the Bay. But if getting up early is not your thing, you will find that the sunsets across the Bay can be equally spectacular too!

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

Takou River Cottages

    Summer Cottage at Takou River                        

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


There are many elements which make Takou River Cottages a special place to visit. In the first place they are remote - a little remote in actual physical location, but in terms of distance from every day life it feels like a whole world away.  There are several options for accommodation at  Takou River. All are set against a backdrop of the most luxuriant, lush, well cared for  tropical gardens. Summer Cottage is a two storey semi-detached studio apartment with every possible modern convenience, but what makes Summer Cottage so special is that it comes with its own Balinese influenced bath house, deck, and outdoor bath. Tucked into a glade of trees this bath house is sunny yet private. A barbecue and a pot belly stove mean the bath house can be enjoyed long into the night if you wish.

Takou River Cottages are set close to the edge of the river. There is a swimming platform provided as well as canoes (and life jackets). There is even  the provision of fishing rods for guests to make use of should they feel so inclined: - Going the extra mile always makes the difference in the end.

The cottages are on farmland with well marked walking paths to explore. The coast is close enough for the waves to be heard in the still of the evening and there are good beaches nearby. For me, I liked the little touches - the home made soaps, the soft white dressing gowns, the espresso coffee machine, and of course the bath under the stars.

There are other accommodations available at Takou River complex apart from the cottages, each one offering its own brand of of luxury and relaxation. A very pleasant diversion from reality. If your preference is for something simple, rustic and unique, choose Magic Cottage: -  But whichever you choose you are not likely to leave disappointed.

Warm Earth Cottages

Warm Earth Cottages

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

These little cottages sounded just so charming, just so perfect I nearly didn't want to go. There were promises of seclusion, of romance, of  the perfect hideaway. So much was promised.
Was this exaggerating the charm? Promising more than could be delivered?
Were Warm Earth Cottages going to be just another pair of quaint cottages in a pretty setting?
Well they weren't. They were much, much more than that.

In rural Katikati Warm Earth Cottages are set by a small riverlet, amidst beautiful gardens, lovingly tended. Surrounded by a mass of flowers and shrubs, the cottages (there are two) are instantly alluring as you approach  Chaotically colourful they are offset by the vast expanses of lawn leading down to the river.
Set amidst this floral chaos are the cottages, and yes they are rustic; they are quaint. And they are beautiful both inside and out.

In each perfumed garden is the outdoor bath - breathtakingly appealing and romantic. The fire is set and lit for you. The waters slowly warm as the sun begins to set.

 Every little detail was provided; - the furs and candles of the bedrooms, the little details of the bathrooms, the outdoor spaces, the posies, sprays and flower arrangements,  the pot belly stoves, the wonderful breakfast hampers... I loved these cottages.

There was nothing missing. Electricity banished. Candlelight indoors and out. A cosy lodge with roaring fire to spend time in should the weather happen to fail you ..

These cottages are romantic in the extreme - a Valentine's Day dream! They create the setting for moments to savour and remember. How many proposals must there have been in the candlelight of  Warm Earth Cottage?

These Cottages are everything you could wish for. Little wonder the blackboard overhead on the verandah is covered in writings overflowing with the pleasures of a wonderful night at Warm Earth Cottage.

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

Mount Tutu Eco Sanctuary

Mount Tutu Eco Sanctuary

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

Up in the hills near Tauranga is a stand of native bush, - virgin native bush I am told. In amidst this bush is the Mount Tutu Eco-Sanctuary  The sanctuary is more of a home than a tourist venture;  the rooms are more  hostel than hotel. This is really either the strength or the weakness of the whole experience, depending on what you are looking for in your visit.

At Mount Tutu you will be engaged by your hosts who are an absolute mine of knowledge about the bush the wildlife, the eco -system and about New Zealand's ecology in general. In the price of your visit there is a 90 minute walking eco-tour included after a generous breakfast in the morning. And as night falls there is a 60 minute glow worm tour which is, quite frankly, magical.


The glow worms are on either side of a narrow stream bed which you will walk along in the dark, gumboots on, with miner's lights for guidance. Headlights are turned off at various points  and there they are - less than arm's length away - thousand of glow worms, as bright as stars. I've always liked Christmas lights. Who would have thought nature could turn on a display equal to this, deep in the bush on a silent summer's night. I loved it.

Mount Tutu Eco Sanctuary is not really about the accommodation - although it could be.  It is not so much about the vista and the scenery although there are some charming views, and  a picturesque pond or two. The bedrooms are termed whares, and the entrance  to each attempts to capture that feeling of approaching a Maori sleeping house. But so much more could be done on the inside. Mount Tutu is full of potential.

However what Mount Tutu is really about is the bush, the native animals, the wildlife, the eco-experience, and a gentle push towards education. Many visitors have loved the simplicity of the experience - the visitor's book makes this clear. Perhaps it was not entirely what I look for in terms of authenticity and charm in the accommodation, but there were certainly other compensations. Would I recommend it? Yes I definitely would.

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

Hulmes Court Dunedin

Hulmes Court B & B

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

Down in the deep south - well almost in the deep south - at least in Dunedin -  is Hulme's Court B & B. Well known to locals for its distinctive turreted attic at the front of the house, Hulme's Court has been a part of Dunedin for a long time. Built in the 1860s for a renowned surgeon of the time and architecturally designed, it is recognised on the Historic Places Trust register. A notable and interesting building spread over four levels, it also has a generous garden of trees and shrubs, all the while being only five minutes walk from the heart of Dunedin and the Octagon.

Hulme's Court has a  number of bedrooms available with various themes being developed to create appeal.  It also owns and operates the Victorian style property next door. However it is the turreted room at the front of the house which is particularly unique with its hexagonal sides supporting the turret above. An art-deco style stained glass door separates the en-suite from the bedroom. Essentially this is a generously furnished and an agreeable space with rich coloured wallpaper, interesting art on the walls, and lollypops on the bed. Who doesn't appreciate a lollypop after all?  My only regret was that it wasn't possible to actually go up into the turret.

Breakfast at Hulme's Court is a help yourself affair, but there is plenty to choose from and the view out to the harbour is great. A big old marble fireplace in the breakfast room is an attractive feature. I and the cats wished it was going - not that it was cold at all, only that there is nothing quite like a fire for warming the soul.
Hulme's Court is comfortable and pleasant, -    more quirky than unusual, but still an interesting and relatively inexpensive place to stay.

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