Accommodations

The main lodge consists of six spacious and well-appointed guest rooms.

Each room boasts custom designed handcrafted furniture, including, according to our guests, "the most comfortable beds in the South Island," European style bathrooms with heated floors and towel rails, granite or marble vanities and rain fountain showerheads.

There is stunning scenery through European tilt swing windows, DVD/CD players in each room to enjoy the in house movie collection, complimentary wireless internet for keeping in touch, coffee and tea in the room and an i-pod stereo system loaded with a wide range of music.

King Room
A spacious room outfitted with our custom designed handcrafted furniture, including:
Hapuku Lodge's own extra large king / twin bed, wardrobe, writing desk and seating area;
DVD/CD player, pre-loaded IPOD sound system;
Refrigerator and coffee and tea facilities;
European style bathroom with rain-fountain showerhead, heated towel racks and floor; and
Stunning views out both sides of the room, across our deer paddocks to the mountains.
Rate includes generous continental breakfast buffet.

Queen Room
A comfortably sized room outfitted with our custom designed handcrafted furniture, including:
Queen bed, wardrobe, and lounge chairs;
DVD/CD player, refrigerator, coffee and tea pots;
European style bathroom with rain-fountain showerheads, heated towel racks and floor; and
Stunning views across our deer paddocks to the mountains.
Rate includes generous continental breakfast buffet.

Olive House
The Olive House is a two-story building located 60 meters from the main lodge. Located on the ground floor are a fitness room, massage therapy room and our olive mill, used to make olive oil in the autumn of the year. As an open floor plan design, the apartment above the olive mill is Hapuku Lodge's most spacious accommodation choice. The Olive House apartment includes all the features of our six guest rooms, with more:

360-degree views of mountains, sea, olive orchard, and deer
Separate bedroom with king sized bed and couples spa bath
Large lounge area with custom designed furniture that converts into two more single beds for kids
Full kitchen, laundry, wood burning stone fireplace, DVD/CD player, widescreen television and twin balconies
The floor plan allows gatherings of up to 25 people for meetings or reunions
The open floor plan apartment is a great option for families traveling with younger children.

Tree Houses
Nested 30 feet (10 M) above the ground in the canopy of a native Manuka grove, each Tree House has spectacular views of Kaikoura's dramatic mountains and surf-washed Pacific coastline.

The Tree Houses are designed to be a contemporary complement to the environment. Their exterior is clad in native woods and copper shingles and large windows bring the tree canopy right into the bedroom. Furniture is all designed by the Wilson family and crafted by local woodworking friends.

There are three different types of Tree Houses:

The One Bedroom Tree House is a favourite for honeymooners and those looking for a luxurious tree top stay.

Our two Lower Branch Tree House rooms are smaller with a few less appointments than their one bedroom cousin. They are available to be booked by those guests looking for a tree house experience at a lower price than the one bedroom Tree House.

Two Tree Houses have been created with families in mind; they include the upper bedroom Tree House for the parents with a lower bedroom (what is called the Lower Branch Tree House) for the children.

Read more about Hapuku Lodge accommodations.

Dining

Hapuku Lodge's kitchen has always focused on preparing simple, fresh, flavorful food, sourced whenever possible from local purveyors and organic growers.

Hapuku's resident chef, Rod Ramsay, continues to concentrate on all foods local through the preparation of flavoursome seasonal offerings that include seafood, venison and vegetarian dishes. Included in the list of fresh offerings, diners may select Kaikoura's famous fare of live crayfish (New Zealand rock lobster), pulled directly from the resident saltwater tank.

With the completion of the new Tree Houses, Hapuku Lodge can now accommodate 30 or more guests. With that in mind, Lodge owners and designers, Tony and Peter Wilson, have re-designed the Hapuku Cafe into a stylish contemporary dining room where guests are offered full-course dinners and where breakfast is served as a generous continental buffet. The newly designed dining room can also be used for hosting events and functions for up to 60 people.

Activities

Hapuku Lodge has a number of nearby activities!

Albatross Encounter
Animal Farm Tours
Biking Contact
Puhi Puhi Valley
Dive Kaikoura
Dolphin Encounter
Fishing
Flying Lessons
Helicopter Tours
Horse Treks
Kaikoura Golf Club
Kaikoura Lookout
Kaikoura Winery
Lavender Farm
Maori Tours
Movie Theatre
Night Sky Tours
Picnics
River Rafting
Sea Tours
Seal Colonies
Seal Swimming
Seal Kayaking
Sheep Shearing
Spa
Surfing
Fyffe Palmer Forest Walk
Puhi Puhi Native Bush Walk
Hapuku River Walk
Ohau Waterfall Walk
Whale Watch
Wings Over Whales
4 Wheeler Adventures

Weddings

Functions and events at Hapuku Lodge are private and intimate. The property is well suited for small gatherings of 20 to 60 people. With creativity and planning, we can cater for larger events of 100+ people. There are several venue options to choose between:

The Hapuku Lodge Event Room
Adjacent to the Lodge, the spacious room features tall, curved ceilings, dark wooden floors and a stone fireplace. Large windows look out to the olive grove, deer farm and mountains. Two sets of double doors open out to landscaped terraces for additional seating.

Olive House Apartment
For small groups (less than 25), the Olive House works very well. 360 degree views surround an open floor plan with fireplace, kitchen and private bedroom area. Long tables can be organized for group dining or boardroom meetings.

Hapuku Lodge Dining Room and Lounge
The dining room and lounge caters to formal dining for up to 20 and can accommodate a maximum of 30 people for drinks and canapes. With high ceilings and earthen tones, the space is split by a central stone fireplace to provide a quite and relaxing space for meetings or group gatherings.

History

The Hapuku Lodge Story
A bit about Tony and the Wilson Family

Architecture and design are in the blood of owner, Tony Wilson's family. Upon completion of her master's degree in architecture next year, Tony's niece, Julia, will be the fifth generation of architects in the Wilson family.

Tony's father, Gordon Wilson was the NZ Government architect from 1949 until 1959, when he suddenly died on the streets of Wellington from a heart attack. Gordon was a highly respected architect and his work can still be seen throughout NZ today in the Wellington Public Library, the Auckland railway station,the National War Memorial Carillon and the National Art Gallery. In 1948, he was awarded the NZ Institute of architects' Gold Medal for his design of the Dixon Street Flats.

After his father's death in 1959, Tony and his siblings followed their mother Virginia Smith, to Los Angeles, California where her family resided. Tony attended UCLA University, playing rugby throughout his undergraduate years and graduating with a degree in history.

The majority of Wilson family moved to the San Francisco Bay area as Tony, his two sisters and one brother attended graduate school at University of California at Berkeley. Tony received his law degree from Boalt Law School at Berkeley and practiced law for a number of years. While practicing law he and his older brother, Michael, were engaged in designing and renovating Bay Area property. Michael became a licensed California architect in the 1970's. Tony's younger brother, Peter, received his architecture license in 1980. In 1982, the three brothers and sister Sara, formed Wilson Associates to design, build and operate small, high quality real estate properties.

Not only a builder, Tony has a passion for food. This passion has led him to work with his sister, Sara, in the creation of various food interests, such as the Pasta Shop, Cactus Taqueria, and Hapuku Fish Shop.

Though varied in style, each of these little businesses focus on creating tasty food using fresh,wholesome, seasonal ingredients.

Hapuku Deer Farm
Tony kept New Zealand close to his heart and would return when possible. On a trip in the early '90's, he visited his nephew Paul, who had acquired a modest deer farm overlooking his favourite surf spot at Mangamanu Bay. With a want to try his hand at farming, Tony and Paul agreed to become partners in Hapuku Deer Farm.

The farm started out small, approximately thirty-five acres of rich soil on the upper plateau above the Lodge, but soon Tony and Paul realized they would need more land to sustain the growing deer herd. In the mid 90's, they decided to purchase the 120 acres of the lower farm where the Lodge now sits. As the Hapuku River is the southern boundary of the farm, much of the land is rocky in nature with the upper paddocks, seen from the Lodge, and olive orchard composed of the best soil.

Conception of Hapuku Lodge
With mountains to the west, ocean to the east and deer all around, Tony thought Hapuku was a special spot for family and friends to visit. If family and friends would like Hapuku, so would others. Wilson Associates decided to build a small guesthouse or B&B on the farm. Wilson projects have always involved the family and the creation of Hapuku Lodge was no exception.

From the building design, to over seeing the construction, to designing and building of the furnishings even olive tree pruning and recipe creation have all been the responsibility of Wilson family members. Tony's son Justin arrived to the Lodge in 2002, to help see it built and act as general manager. In late 2006 Justin moved back to California, where he is still actively involved with the marketing and business development of Hapuku Lodge.

As with many Wilson projects, "the process expanded the idea." Once Tony and Peter put their heads together on the drawing board, the simple guesthouse began to grow, as can be seen in the current Lodge, new Tree Houses and future sea-side cabins.

Facilities

Varieties of Wood

Reception
The Reception desk is made of Black Walnut, with deer leather stretched across the face. Tim Mann, a Christchurch based artist, designed and screen-printed the flax pattern seen on the front desk. More of Tim's work can be viewed in the Christchurch Museum of Modern Art.

Lodge Kitchen
The kitchen was built by craftsman Dave King from Southland beach. The centre bench/work area is Canadian maple. The floor tiles are from a small hill town in
Italy.

Lounge
The lounge seating furniture was designed by Tony and Peter and constructed out of New Zealand oak by Dave King and Lachlan Hill. The function of the form is to promote lounging, so sit back, kick your feet and relax.

The table behind the center couch is camphor made by Duane Turner and Michael Henwood. Dave King made the coffee table from black walnut and paradox walnut.

Dining Room
The two smaller tables beneath the windows were designed and constructed from black walnut by Lachlan Hill.

The breath-taking dining room table was designed and crafted by Lachlan Hill out of Kahikatea (NZ white pine), the tallest NZ native tree. This table was actually three feet longer but had to be reduced in size to fit in the room. The chairs were also built by Lachlan Hill.

Side Board
This sideboard-buffet was made from paradox walnut by Duane Turner.

Top of Stairs
The table on the landing at the top of the stairs was made from paradox walnut, by Duane Turner.

Rooms
Coffee Tables: Elm grown from Hagley Park, Christchurch

Bathroom Mirror Frames: Unique carving and wood in each room and by Maori carver Simon Rodgers from Akaroa

Room 1: Black Walnut.
Room 2: A mixture of Paradox Walnut and Black Walnut
Room 3: Chestnut and Paradox Walnut
Room 4: Black Walnut with the lower half of the writing desk from English walnut stock
Room 5: English Walnut with strips of Red Gum Eucalyptus
Room 6: North American Sycamore

Olive House: The Rimu dining tables found in the Olive House were designed and built by Lachlan Hill

Event room: The event room furniture was built by Lachlan Hill in Lyttleton, near Christchurch and is made from Hagley Park elm. The ceiling is Tasmanian
oak and the shelving is beach.

Rugs
The rugs are an assortment of "Persian rugs" from the Middle East and India. Some came from Tony's personal collection, some from a Wilson family, rug trading, friend and some from Justin's trip to Rajasthan, India, in 2003. The materials used include camel hair, sheep's wool, rabbit fur and silk.

Pottery
The pottery you see around the Lodge including most of that used in table service is made by potting friend, Gill Gane from Nelson. Gill is responsible for the visions, colours and art/design, as resident Artist and Director at her internationally acclaimed award-winning studio, Neudorf Ceramics. The studio produces limited runs of tableware, studio pieces and one-off art pieces which have built Neudorf Ceramics a reputation for original Ceramics. If you would like to see or purchase Gill's work, feel free to ask reception for the address and phone number of Neudorf Ceramics Gallery in Nelson.

Artwork
The Lodge art collection is ever changing but is always made up of a mixture of established NZ artists, contemporary Kiwi artists, a few from the US and English artists and some mementos from the Wilsons' travels.
Robyn White, NZ artist – the painting in the reception
Ian McCormack NZ Artist – water colour in the lounge area
Stanley Palmer, NZ Artist – ocean and moutain print in lounge area
Mervin Taylor, NZ Artist – in the downstairs toilet and upstairs hallway
Sibley, UK Artist – etching drawing in the dining room
Inca Cloth, Andes of Peru – collected when Tony, Sara with husband Gustavo
climbed up and around Manchu Pechu in Peru
Judith Wilson, Nelson, NZ – found in all of the guestrooms

Local Area

The waters off of Kaikoura's coast are extremely rich in marine life. So much so, that New Zealand Geographic calls Kaikoura, "A maritime Serengeti", "a Sea World without Walls". Guests have available a huge range of activities in and around Kaikoura.

Hapuku Lodge makes a great base camp from which to undertake a marine safari. World famous whale watching, giant albatross encounters, playful dolphin and seal swimming, sea kayaking, and deep-sea fishing are available year round.

For those staying off the high seas, options include night sky tours, Maori cultural tours, scenic flights, winery tours, horseback riding, biking and great hiking (or tramping as we call it in NZ).

It is less than a kilometer down our country lane to the ocean surf of Mangamaunu Bay and guests can use the Lodge's mountain bikes (and helmets) to tour the local by-ways.

You can find descriptions and contact information for many of Kaikoura's activities at this Activities tab. We are happy to make activity suggestions and arrangements for our guests.

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