Te Popo Gardens

Te Popo Gardens

Lorri says she is not really a people person. She invites you to meet her garden. Her husband Bruce is a chartered accountant.



Te Popo is her labour, her creation and the work of her husband Bruce. For thirteen years, Lorri has been the composer; nurturing and planning the Te Popo lullaby. A peaceful place to stay.

The garden is 5 acres set amongst 35 acres of woodland. It was recognised by the New Zealand Gardens Trust as a Garden of National Significance in 2005.

  Lorri explains the garden began with Graeme and Janet Marshall. Every tree and shrub was planted for the nectar or seeds that feed the birds that inspired Janet’s internationally renowned bird art.

Flynn, the wire-haired Fox terrier, willingly takes garden tours. Lorri says he will wait for you or even come and get you if he thinks you are lost. He bounces through the bluebells on his tip toes.

In the canopy, pine needles net the wind, providing a whispering backdrop to waves of birdsong.

The eye falls to brilliant carpets of Bluebells and blue Ajuga. Pathways draw you through, and past, and over. The swing bridge tests your sense of space again, pegged above the narrow ravine. Not satisfied with the high ceilings and low floors, Lorri is working on an amphitheatre of terraces where the best seats look down into magnolias.

Eucalyptus scents the air. Juxtaposition of colour, texture and form relate, surprise and please the senses.

Tariff $175 double; $125 single, breakfast included. 

Evening meals $45 per head 

Discounted rates apply to low season bookings (May - Sept) and multiple nights

Putting eco-friendly into action

Andre is a South African with a passion for New Zealand. He regularly volunteers for DoC. Andre is an outdoorsy sort of bloke, he has guided throughout the South Island for 27 years and climbed Mt Cook. Andre married his Scottish maiden in an Edinburgh Castle 8 years ago and brought her home to New Zealand. Alison brought her Aga… Her passion for cooking has extended to a vast vegetable garden. Almost all the vegetables she cooks with have come from her own tunnel houses. They both love that they share their home with native birds. Weka, Owls, Tui and Bellbirds are regular guests. Kiwi are sometimes heard. Alison and Andre are mindful of their impact on the environment. They have a plan to manage their consumption. They have thought it through and put it into action. They collect rain water and are installing solar water heating. Alison and Andre have green thumbs. They have made the most of the temperate climate and ample rainfall to foster an extensive fruit and vegetable garden. They use coffee grounds, high in nitrogen, from a local café to mulch their gardens. Andre and Alison provide luxury accommodation in a unique, remote and beautiful location. Unwind in the outdoor bath while the sun sets and enjoy sumptuous food and engaging hospitality.

Reclaimed, Pre-Loved and Re-Used.

Reclaimed, Pre-Loved and Re-Used. These were Sandy's words to describe the eclectic mix of influences that she and Russell put into their home in Barrytown.

It was easy to get Sandy and Russell talking about the process of building their home. As I listened I realised they were talking about their own journey. I heard their hopes and dreams for a lifestyle that shares the values of the past and allows freedom to enjoy life at a slower pace. They want people to come and share this magic.


Sandy said they felt the building should belong to the West Coast.

They have gone to extraordinary lengths to incorporate local history and pay respect to wholesome working people of the area.

They elevated timbers from farm outbuildings to treasures remodelled for indoors.

A collection of beautiful wood salvaged from old sheds and cattle yards sits comfortably under the gaze of a stained glass window from the Greymouth Post Office.

When they reclaimed the timber floor from a joiner shop they made a marvellous discovery: Carved on the underside of the boards was the date 1901. The carpenters who laid the floor in the early port of Greymouth would certainly be surprised about the current presentation of their elaborate signatures. Their names now feature as a cryptic decoration in the living room.

A giant wave of bush clad hills rises up behind the house. She sits safely anchored to the land with sturdy beams from the old Cobden Railway Bridge.

Russell designed the high curved ceilings to echo the curves of the land. "He is good with plans, being a landscape gardener" said Sandy as she minimised her input by describing it as "a steep learning curve for a hairdresser."

It was Sandy's vision to rough plaster the vaulted ceilings. Lovely natural light entering from watery seascapes outside is captured by the plasterwork and scattered across the kitchen.

Local beauty outdoors and local culture inside crafted from the imaginations and different backgrounds of these two understated people. Russell from his New Zealand culture and Sandy from her Caribbean roots in British Colonial Bermuda.

The overall effect sings of people and places, here and beyond.

Beachcombers

Malcolm is a retired engineer and Cheryl is passionate about gardening. In a moment of inspiration they decided Awatuna was for them .

In 2006, as visitors to the Hokitika Wildfoods Festival, they spotted a hectare of land with a B&B looking out to a boisterous sea.
Once they entered the garden and discovered the Waimea creek, flowing past on its way across the sand to the sea, they knew it would be home.


Cheryl uses the beach, in her garden and in her home.
Every day, on the way back up the beach to home she brings a wheelbarrow full of driftwood; some for the fire and some special pieces become garden art.

The palette of coloured stones inspires her mosaics. Cheryl doesn’t describe herself as an artist, but her garden tells another story. The sculptures are the artistic interpretation of her beach.

Occasionally the ocean provides an abundance of kelp. Cheryl follows the great coastal tradition of valuing the goodness of seaweed for the garden. She describes draping herself in trees of kelp to drag them home.

Every day the wild sea changes the beach; shuffling coloured stones, washing up intricate driftwood shapes and other surprising treasures.

Cheryl and Malcolm wish to share their magical lifestyle with visitors, they want people to come play on the beach.


During the summer, when the creek is a gentle flow, the sea builds up a sand bar creating a long lagoon.
The lagoon drifts lazily past the garden, inviting hours of beachcombing, kayaking, bird watching and even a little whitebaiting in season.

The lounge is presided over by Miranda, a black cat enjoying her dotage from her favourite chair. Max, the white cat has more energy and helps with the gardening.
The sheep and goats, whose original purpose was to help keep the grounds in order, are now tame, hand-fed individuals requiring constant supervision to keep them OUT of the gardens. One days happy munching would destroy the years of tender care they have put into an extensive planting programme in the extreme coastal environment.

Cheryl and Malcolm have researched the history of the area and can tell of the mining, centred on their creek. They can point you to the former goldfields where tunnels, tailings and the bush clad hills show the difficult conditions miners encountered in their workings.

Malcolm is a Tubist. He has played in many brass bands and now enjoys making a contribution to the community through the Westland Brass Band. The band participates in many district events enabling Malcolm to meet some very interesting characters.