10 unique eco-friendly stays in New Zealand

Hidden among the branches of a hilltop forest overlooking the Hakataramea Valley lies a treehouse stay that feels more like a boutique escape. Floor-to-ceiling windows stare out across the valley, a cedar bathtub sits snugly on the outdoor deck and a private treetop sauna offers a dash of off-grid decadence at this adults-only retreat. There’s also plenty nearby to keep you busy, with farm and vineyard tours affording a taste of the area’s rural charms. And come nightfall, you can just lie back and contemplate your place in the universe – the site lies on the edge of Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve. This summer also saw the owners open a second treehouse, so you’re now spoilt for choice.

Booking information: nesttreehouses.com

Plush geodomes scatter the shoreline of Hawea, one of the lesser-visited lakes wrapping Wanaka. It’s certainly a setting designed to charm the camera lens, thanks to the area’s U-shaped valleys carved tens of thousands of years ago by departing glaciers. The domes offer plenty of home comforts, with floor-to-ceiling windows, plush double beds and even a small kitchenette. It’s a cosy affair, and the camp’s lodge even dishes up meals fresh from the farm. A few relics of the area’s gold-mining past survive on the slopes above, but the appeal here is nature. It’s out paddleboarding on the quiet lake waters or relaxing outside in a wood-fired outdoor hot tub that Cross Hill earns its restorative reputation.

Booking information: crosshill.co.nz

There are no roads at the tip of the South Island; instead it’s just you and the labyrinthine waters of the Marlborough Sounds for company at this discreet 11-suite hotel buried in the coastal rainforest fringing Aratawa Bay. Of course, you’ll need to take a water taxi across Queen Charlotte Sound (Tōtaranui) from Picton to even reach it. Once there, the spa and fine-dining waterside restaurant tick all the right five-star comfort boxes. However, the location is the real lure here: kayak and swim with dolphins, stroll the Queen Charlotte Track (71km) that runs right by the front door, then visit the nearby cormorant colony for a wild nature fix.

Booking information: bayofmanycoves.co.nz

In 2005, record producer Robert Lange bought 550 sq km of degraded high-country farmland between Wanaka and Queenstown. He spent the following years regenerating it, planting over a million trees in the process. Today, it’s still a working farm but one that accommodates guests in luxurious comfort and operates sustainably within New Zealand’s largest privately owned conservation area. The long drive up is filled with wild panoramas before visitors eventually arrive at a solar-powered homestead where picture windows draw in the outdoors. There’s plenty to see, as hikes to shepherd’s huts and horse-riding treks across the vast estate fill your days with frontier thrills.

Booking information: mahuwhenua.co.nz

Sometimes you just want to be where no one else is; where you can shout your name and hear only the reverberations as they echo off slate-grey slopes. This solar-powered steel-and-glass refuge is a far cry from the usual mountain hut. Set at an altitude of 1,750m on Dragonfly Peak, Whare Kea Chalet’s huge glass windows put the peaks of Mount Aspiring and the tumbling glaciers of Aoraki (Mount Cook) on widescreen. It’s also a setting primed for adventure. The only way to arrive is via helicopter, and for four months of the year the area is smothered in snow, with heli-skiing trips a luxurious add-on. The rest of the time, the chalet’s lonesome setting among the Southern Alps proves surprisingly exhilarating company.

Booking information: wharekealodge.com

Pastoral idyll meets alpine epic at this pretty lodge lying amid 800 bucolic hectares of Cathedral Peak Station. Guests wake up to views of the craggy peaks of Fiordland National Park, which loom over sheep-speckled meadows as far as the eye can see. This is a working farm, and the field-to-table breakfasts alone are worth the stay, with fresh berries, honey and eggs ladled out each morning. And be sure to fuel up well: adventures on your doorstep include hikes along the Kepler Track – one of New Zealand’s Great Walks – kayaking on the lake and boat cruises on Dusky, Doubtful and Milford Sounds. There are even private trails and fishing spots on Waiau River if you simply prefer to have nature all to yourself. 

Booking information: cabotlodge.co.nz

Several PurePods (glass eco-cabins) scatter the east coast around Kaikoura and Christchurch, but the setting above Port Levy Bay is special. Everywhere you look there’s wilderness, as you gaze out from your base nestled high in the tussocked hills of the Banks Peninsula. The pod lies a good 25-minute walk from the road and it feels like a genuine off-grid experience: the cabin is solar-powered and entirely self-sufficient, water is drawn from a natural spring and – best of all – there’s no WiFi. In the evening there’s little to do but lie in bed and drift off beneath a glittering canopy of stars, then wake with the sun and head to nearby Akaroa to spot endangered Hector’s dolphins. It’s just a simpler way of living.

Booking information: purepods.com

Though easily accessed by road, this two-bedroom cottage is practically enveloped by native manuka and beech bush and feels utterly secluded. Your only neighbours are the odd rogue deer and the glowering peak of Mount Ruapehu. There’s also no shortage of fine tramping or bike trails: Tongariro National Park lies nearby and the Old Coach Road cycle path runs right past. After sundown, set the wood fire ablaze and relax in twin freestanding bathtubs, or tiptoe the boardwalk listening for the distinctive call and rustle of kiwi birds in the bush. Inside, this stay more than earns its name as you gaze up through its skylights to pitch-black heavens lit only by the twinkling of a million pinpricks of light.

Booking information: nightskycottage.co.nz

The 6,000-hectare peninsula of Cape Kidnappers – named by the explorer James Cook in 1769 after a misunderstanding with the local Maori – is entirely privately owned. Indeed, the scale of it is something to behold, and it’s a lengthy drive just from the entrance to reception. Golf course aside, much of the land that isn’t used for farming is left wild, while the field-to-fork ethos makes excellent use of the estate’s livestock and vineyards (tastings are available). Several cottages overlook the craggy coast, where you’ll also encounter a thriving gannet colony on 4WD safaris. Best of all, its forests hide a kiwi conservation area, and daily nature walks allow you to join guides in monitoring the newborn chicks. 

Booking information: robertsonlodges.com

There’s nothing like a treehouse stay for sparking high spirits. These five canopy-level stilted rooms, each crafted from responsibly sourced and recycled wood, lie in the shadow of the Kaikoura Range. It’s setting is pure drama, nestled high among the treetops of a kanuka grove with views that gaze out over the surrounding deer park and across to the snow-dusted peaks beyond. When you tire of just gaping at the scenery, head out for mountain hikes, surf at Mangamaunu Bay or go whale watching in Kaikoura, then retire to your treetop escape, light the stove and ease yourself into a spa bath. You’re literally living the high life.

Booking information: hapukulodge.com

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