Mr & Mrs Smith

Wharekauhau Lodge & Country Estate

Wairarapa, New Zealand

An hour and a half's drive from Wellington, boutique hotel and spa Wharekauhau Lodge & Country Estate is the real deal: a 5,500-acre working sheep and cattle farm set on dramatic coastline in the Wairarapa wine-growing region.

Need to know

• Rooms 12, including 10 single-suite Guest Cottages, the three-suite Château Wellington and the three-suite Wharepapa Cottage.
• Rates Double rooms from $1085.54 (NZD1,449), excluding tax at 15 per cent.
  Prices have been converted from the hotel's local currency (NZD1,449), via XE.com, using today's exchange rate.
• More details Rates include breakfast, pre-dinner drinks and canapés, and a four-course dinner (without wine). Meals are not included at Wharepapa Cottage.
• Facilities CD, DVD and book library, free WiFi in the main lodge, gym, spa, tennis-court, gardens. In rooms: flatscreen satellite TV, iPod dock, minibar, free bottled water.
• Poolside There's a 24-metre indoor heated swimming pool if you can't face the pounding ocean surf. Find it in the recreation centre, alongside a jacuzzi, gym, all-weather tennis court and spa treatment room (guests get unlimited access).
• Check-out 11am, flexible subject to availability for no extra cost. Check-in, 12 noon.
• Children The hotel can supply free baby cots and extra beds for older children for NZ$300, plus tax, a night. Babysitting with staff can be arranged for NZ$25 an hour and the restaurant offers a kid-friendly menu. More...
• Eco-friendly The lodge uses water from a natural spring; grows its own Texel lamb, vegetables and herbs; sources local wine and produce; and maximises natural light in rooms with skylights and East-West-facing windows, as well as recyling.
• Also Borrow a guest pushbike to explore the hotel’s rugged 2,200-hectare grounds, which include gorgeous forests, lakes, rivers, rolling pasture and striking coastline.

Food and drink at Wharekauhau Lodge & Country Estate

• Hotel restaurant Evenings kick off with drinks and canapés in the lounge or courtyard, when you can hobnob with fellow guests, followed by fine feasting in the dining room, where grand shared tables create a dinner-party mood. Inspired by Pacific Rim cuisine and local produce, chef Tim Smith’s Kiwi-with-a-twist dishes include Texel lamb with Mediterranean vegetables, polenta, peas, lamb jus and yoghurt. Breakfast is served in the rustic Country Kitchen, and lunch either there or outdoors (request a picnic, or barbecue, with a private chef if you prefer).
• Dress code Sturdy jacket and boots for farm strolls by day; smarter get-up for evenings for glam communal dining.
• Top table For romantic private dining, ask for a table in the elegant lounge (there’s a roaring fire in winter).
• Last orders Breakfast is served from 6am to 11.30am; lunch from 11am to 4pm; and dinner from 6.30pm till late. The bar is open 24 hours a day.
• Room service Available from 6am to 8pm, with a full menu service. In-room minibars are also well-stocked.
• Hotel bar The hotel bar is open all day offering spirits and fine local wines, including rare vintages.

Also worth knowing

• Weddings This property is suitable for weddings. More...

Wharekauhau Lodge & Country Estate Wharekauhau Country Estate, Western Lake Road, Palliser Bay, RD3, Featherston,, Wairarapa, 5773