In the know
- Our favourite rooms
- For a cool canopy experience, the modern, wood-clad Tree House rooms, a short walk from the main lodge, are a must. The five one-bedroom Upper Branch rooms, perched high up in the treetops, are the most romantic and private with wraparound windows ensuring neck-swivelling views of mountains, sea and roaming deer. Soak it all up from the spa bath, seating nook (complete with wood-burning fire) or deck. Smaller, more affordable Lower Branch rooms sit below, or book into one of the Family Tree Houses, an interconnected hybrid of the two room types. We love the individual timber bedheads, which have a raw forest feel.
- Packing tips
- Binoculars for deer spotting and whale watching; a head for heights if you're staying in a Tree House room.
- Also
- In-room spa treatments are also available if all that monumental nature gets the better of you.
Current offers
- Smith card offer
- A pre-dinner cocktail for two
- Current special offer
More photos
Hapuku Lodge & Tree Houses
Kaikoura, New Zealand[view map]
- Style
- Architectural meets arboreal
- Setting
- Deer-dotted pastures and peaks
Take to the treetops at Hapuku Lodge & Tree Houses where canopy-level rooms offer views of mountains, sea and the hotel's own deer park. Set in seaside Kaikoura, on New Zealand's South Island, it's a top spot for whale-watching.
Need to know
- Rooms
- 12, including four suites.
- Rates
- NZ$528–NZ$1,050, including breakfast. Tax is extra at 12.5 per cent.
- Check-out
- 11am, but flexible subject to availability. Check-in, 2pm.
- Facilities
- DVD library, free WiFi throughout, guest Mac computer, gardens. In rooms: flatscreen TV, DVD and CD players, iPod dock, minibar, Evolu, Living Nature and Lavish toiletries.
- Poolside
- An outdoor swimming pond and heated 25-metre lap pool, hot tub, sauna and pool house (with showers and a changing room) are due to be completed by December 2009.
- Eco-friendly
- The lodge uses solar power, sources its food from local farmers, rangers and fishermen with sustainable practices, and has an ongoing campaign to restore the natural habitat (1,400 new native trees have been planted on the grounds to date).
- Also
- The lodge’s knockout 600-hectare estate, between the towering Kaikoura Seaward Mountains and surf-lashed Mangamaunu Bay, include the family farm’s oil-producing olive grove and deer stud.
Food & drink
- Hotel restaurant
- The lodge’s open-plan dining room has a relaxed alpine feel, with simple wood furniture, timber floors and a double-sided fireplace (in summer, eat in the garden). Chef Richard Huber’s philosophy is 'farm gate to plate' with contemporary seasonal dishes spanning dry-aged grass-fed rib eye, Hapuku Farm organic greens and oven-roasted Kaikoura crayfish plucked live from the hotel’s own tank.
- Dress code
- Refined yet relaxed – natural tones will chime in with the surf and turf setting.
- Top table
- There are a couple of window tables with easy-on-the-eye views of the deer paddock and mountains, especially epic when snowcapped; or grab a pew at the chefs' work counter beside the open kitchen to watch them whip up your meal.
- Last orders
- The bar is open 8am–1am, with cocktail shaking bustle from 6pm–7.30pm; dinner is served 6.30pm–9.30pm.
- Room service
- Available 11am–9.30pm in Lodge Suites only, with a menu mirroring the restaurant’s lunch and dinner offerings. You can also pre-order picnics.
- Hotel bar
- Make yourself a martini or a Manhattan at the lodge's informal bar and then relax on comfy couches by a circular stone fireplace in the spacious lounge and dining area. The decor teams custom-designed wooden furniture with local art, ceramics and tactile rugs.
Also worth knowing
Smith Members offer
A pre-dinner cocktail for two
If you're a member of Mr & Mrs Smith, you can get special privileges at every Smith hotel you book through us. Just show your Smith card at check-in to claim the offer featured on every hotel page (like the one above).
Click here to become a Mr & Mrs Smith member
Book this hotel
To book this hotel please click here, or contact our travel team on 1 866 610 3867.
Hapuku Lodge & Tree Houses
State Highway 1 at Station Road
Kaikoura 7371
