The Tree House is a perfect, off-the-grid retreat for nature lovers, where you can listen to birdsong, see the sunrise from the deck and hear the river flowing in the valley. Two minutes walk and you come to The Watermill Bakery serving delicious pizza on Friday evenings. The Tree House is close to a small productive lavender farm, Lavender magic, who sell cut flowers in season, and Mount Holdsworth, where you will be able to access a wide variety of walking tracks.
The space
Plunger coffee, a variety of teas and sugar are included. A Weber BBQ with a side burner is provided for your use. You will find a bottle of oil for cooking on the shelf with the BBQ utensils. There is no formal kitchen.
There is a range of cutlery, pots and pans and a kettle.
We have no fridge but a large chilly bin on site. We will replace the cooling blocks daily. We give you a small milk for tea and coffee.
For breakfast we provide fresh croissants and jam, for the first morning of your stay. Home made muesli is also supplied.
The Tree House is off-the-grid and lighting is generated by solar energy. Please be mindful of this by switching lights off when you are out or asleep. Please note that because we are off-the-grid our water supply is gravity fed. This results in low water pressure which is insufficient to service a shower. Please also note the hot water takes a while to come through due to low water pressure.
The Hobbit wood fired stove is very efficient. Follow the instructions next to the stove. For safety don’t over load the fire. Let it die down when you go to sleep or go out.
During the summer months we do not provide wood for the hobbit stove due to fire risk unless it is unseasonably cold. Thank you.
There is a compost toilet on site which will be serviced daily.
The outdoor bath on the deck allows you to enjoy the magnificent night sky we are so fortunate to have in the Wairarapa. If you prefer a daytime bath or simply chilling out on the deck, you will appreciate the abundant bird life, especially the fantails , kereru, morepork and tuis.
Five minutes drive brings you to Mount Holdsworth, an area of interest and natural beauty. The bush walks are varied and suitable for all levels of fitness. In the warm summer months you can bathe in the crystal clear waters of the Atiwhakatu river.
During the winter you can snuggle inside the The Tree House with the efficient little Hobbit stove.
Cooking and washing/bathing are al fresco. Bring warm clothing for the cooler weather.
Take a twilight wander up the grass track or down the main driveway to spot hundreds of glow worms residing in the bank. It is quite magical!
Guest access
Feel free to enjoy the whole space around The Tree House. Take a wander down the steps and on the path through the woods to the orchard below where you can enjoy a picnic. Take care on the steps as they are quite steep. There are 2 options for parking.
1: In the summer you can park your car on the grass verge in front of the gate to the left of the driveway near the top. Please do not drive down the grassy lane leading to the Tree House, as it can become very slippery in the rain! You can then walk down through the gate to the Tree House.
2: There is a large space at the very top left of the drive on tarmac. This is the best option in the winter or when we have wet weather. From here you can take steps down to the Tree House, or walk back to the grassy lane and down through the gate to the Tree House.
Other things to note
Our place is a small farm with coloured sheep, free range chickens and 2 dogs which are Labrador x Border collie. The dogs stay in the house and garden area. If you need to come up to the house and are uncomfortable with dogs, please let us know so they can be contained.
