The Hapuku Lodge

kaikoura, south island
2 bedroom - 2 bath
(0 reviews)
Travel dates:
1
Adults
1
Children (Ages 4-17)
0
Children (Ages 0-3)
0
Contact Host
Price on request
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Property perks

  • Concierge
    A concierge service is available for this property
  • Baby rental
    equipment partner
    We work with a carefully-chosen baby equipment rental partner in this location
  • Kid & Coe
    select
    Kid & Coe Select properties have been visited by our team and checked for their suitability for family travelers
  • Itinerary
    We provide a family-focused itinerary for properties in this destination
  • Professional
    partner
    This property is professionally managed by a trusted partner

Perks for the Parents

This collection of suites and treehouses on a deer-breeding farm near Kaikoura, on New Zealand’s South Island, provide the setting for a once-in-a-lifetime family trip swimming with fur seals, watching whales and experiencing the unique local culture. The Lodge provides accommodation on Kaikoura’s rugged coastline in a range of architect-designed treehouses, suites and private dwellings. Kaikoura is known for its outstanding and unparalleled marine life; guests can swim in the ocean, learn to surf at the famed Mangamaunu surf break and go on marine safaris. Food is at the heart of the establishment too; picnics can be arranged, and there is a restaurant with dinner and breakfast included in the rates. The hotel is renowned for having some of the best food in the country, all prepared in house. Other divine ways to pass the time in this outstanding lodge include having a massage, helping to pick olives (May-June), watching the deer, mountain bikes trails along the coast, and relaxing in the pool and sauna.

Why Kids Love it

Staying at Hapuku Lodge will be a trip of a lifetime for kids. Not only because the scenery, deer farm and nearby ocean are so captivating, but also because the lodge has a range of activities to suit families. These include mountain bikes (with helmets), walking tours of the local native bush (with a picnic basket if desired), ocean fishing trips and highway drives up the highway from December to May to see baby seals frolicking in the Oahu waterfall. It is also a short walk from the nearest beach. The coast is ideal for marine safaris - Kaikoura is home to a permanent population of bachelor sperm whales, which can be visited just a few kilometers offshore. Dolphins and seals are a permanent presence, as is the giant albatross, the largest sea bird in the world, and many smaller ocean bird species. Guests can swim with dolphins or fur seals; boat tours nearby help visitors get up close to an astounding variety of mammals and birds. Helicopter and plane tours can also give guests the ultimate in overviews.

Things to Know

Minimum stay: 1 night. Guests must hit the ‘contact host’ button to arrange a stay; prices for the various options are detailed below under ‘Accommodation Details’. Nightly rates all include dinner and breakfast. Dining options focus on local food and seasonality; each evening, guests are served a full 3-course meal, with 3 choices per course. Each morning guests are treated to a continental breakfast buffet and cooked breakfast menu. All the food served in the dining room is prepared in the Lodge’s kitchen, including breads, stocks, ice cream, jams, jellies, and even the peanut butter. The Executive Chef, Fiona, modifies the dinner and breakfast menus daily to take full advantage of the season and assure that the freshest game and seafood available that day is on the plate. Daily changing kids menu plus early dining available. Kaikoura was one of the earliest Maori settlements in the South Island. That history provides the context for the South Island’s best Maori cultural tour.

About the Location

The hotel is set on a deer breeding farm 12km north of the eco-marine town Kaikoura, on the South Island of New Zealand. It is at the base of the Kaikoura Seaward Mountain Range, with the Kaikoura coast and Mangamaunu Bay 1km to the east. Christchurch is 3 hours’ drive to the south. The Kaikoura district and township of less than 3,000 persons is home to an eclectic population of fishermen, farmers, surfers, artists, craftspeople, tour guides and accommodation hosts. Sustainability is held in high regard: Kaikoura became the first community in New Zealand and the second in the world to achieve EarthCheck Benchmark status, the world’s only global tourism environmental certification. The area offers visitors a number of cultural, outdoor and culinary options, including bird-watching, hiking, mountain biking, golf, and horseback riding. The nearest international airport is in Christchurch, just under a 3-hour drive away. Car rental is essential.

Accommodation Details

There is a variety of room types at Hapuku Lodge:
Tree Houses The Lodge has 5 tree houses, nested 10m above the ground in the canopy of a native Kanuka grove. There are 3 1-bedroom tree houses and 2 family tree houses, which both have a master bedroom in the upper branches and a smaller bedroom in the lower branches. The Tree Houses are designed to complement the natural environment, with large windows and impressive views of Kaikoura's dramatic mountains and the Pacific Ocean.
One-bedroom tree houses sleep 2 and cost from $1322 including GST per night
Family tree houses sleep 4 in 2 kingsize beds and cost from $1811 per night including GST

Lodge Rooms There is a variety of suites with large soaking tubs, kingsize beds and balconies overlooking the farm’s deer grazing in paddocks. The 2 Lodge Suites have a lounge and large bedroom set as kingsize or twin beds. The sofa in the lounge can be converted to a single bed. The light-filled Hapuku Room is beautifully furnished with fireplace, writing desk and private entrance. The Lodge Room is a spacious bedroom that may be set as a king or twin beds.
The Lodge Suite sleeps 3 and costs from $1322 per night including GST
The Hapuku Room sleeps 2 and costs from $1322 per night including GST
The Lodge Room sleeps 2 and costs from $977 per night including GST

The Olive House This free-standing building originally housed an olive press and is now the lodge’s most spacious accommodation. From summer 2017, it is available as a 3-bedroom apartment on 2 floors, with the ground floor bedroom being handicapped accessible. It sleeps up to 8.
Price on request

Style Notes

Modern luxury. These ain’t your ordinary treehouses: think architect-designed to fit into the local landscape, with jaw-dropping mountain views, fields of deer spread before them and beautifully tended gardens chock-full of local species all around them. The interiors are similarly thoughtfully put together - picture windows frame those incredible views, and contemporary fireplaces add heat and a place to gather. Each treehouse has a unique combination of wood, colors and finishes; many of the furnishings were built by the owner’s local woodworking friends, with handmade furniture designed by the family’s architects. Even the bathrooms have a view. We love the superbly harmonious design, the fantastical New Zealand ferns growing up to 10m tall beside the treehouses, and the utterly unique and incredible setting, in one of the world’s best places to watch the sun set.

  • Air Conditioning
  • Baby Bath
  • Baby Monitor
  • Babysitter / Nanny
  • Backyard / Garden
  • Balcony
  • Bathtub
  • Bed Rails
  • Bicycles
  • Cabinet Locks
  • Changing Table
  • Chef / Catering
  • Children's Dinnerware
  • Corner Guards
  • DVD Library
  • DVD Player
  • Dishwasher
  • Elevator
  • Fireplace Guards
  • Game Console
  • High Chair
  • Housekeeper
  • Outlet Plugs
  • Parking
  • Pet-friendly
  • Pool
  • Pool Gate
  • Stair Gates
  • Television
  • Toys / Children's Books
  • Washer / Dryer
  • Wifi
  • Window Guards
SLEEPS 5
1 king
1 sofa bed (single)
2 twin / single
Payment policy
When a host accepts your booking, we will automatically charge your card 30% of the total cost of the stay on acceptance if the check in date is more than 6 weeks away. We will send you a balance payment reminder at 6 weeks before check in and you will be required to submit your payment to finalise your reservation. If a host accepts your booking and the check in date is 6 weeks away or less, we will charge your card 100% of the total cost of the stay on acceptance.
Cancellation policy
For cancellations notified up to 6 weeks before the check in date, guests will receive a refund of any amount paid less 15% of the total cost of the booking. For cancellations notified at 6 weeks or less before the check in date, no refunds are given unless the host agrees. If a host does agree to a full or partial refund, this amount will be returned to the guest less 15% of the total cost of the booking. Some hosts will also allow a stay to be rescheduled. Guests should contact their host for further information regarding any request to change the dates of a stay.
Anna K.
Member since February 13, 2017
Contact Host
We are a family of Kiwis who moved to California some years ago. We feel fortunate to now split our time between the States and New Zealand. Originally, we came to Kaikoura for its farming environment and to be near the famed surf of Mangamaunu. As Kaikoura’s eco-marine tourism grew, our labors here evolved. A family full of architects and builders, the idea of creating a contemporary country inn was expanded by the process into Hapuku Lodge + Tree Houses. We continue to learn what’s involved in the process.

Kaikoura, South Island

The town of whales and seals

Marine mammal encounters are Kaikoura's forte. Set 3 hours' drive north of Christchurch, this small South Island town has a local seal colony, passing whale traffic and a community of fishermen, farmers, surfers, artists, and craftspeople. Take boat trips to watch dolphins frolic in the surf, ride waves in the legendary Mangamaunu surf spot or visit local restaurants to try the highly recommended crayfish.