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

Moonlight bewitched Trevor

Moonlight bewitched Trevor when he met Gail, together they have built a dream: a 9-hole golf course and lodge in the middle of nowhere.

Motivated by Gail's ancestral connection to the land and Trevor's love of the outdoors they have crafted an ecologically sensitive haven for native wildlife and guests alike.

Trevor and Gail now delight in their first grandchild.

Fringed by native forest, the golf course is linked by enchanting bush walks. Wild deer can sometimes be seen grazing the fairways at dusk & dawn. A large wetland is the centrepiece of the course and provides a haven for breeding waterfowl and the secretive fernbird.

The course consists of four par-3, three par-4 and two par-5 holes. Complimentary club use for guests.

Trevor is a Department of Conservation Ranger.

He and Gail have an active pest control strategy on the golf course and have planed their wetland garden to welcome other native wildlife.

Trev is an accomplished photographer and author. He celebrates the rugged environment of the Paparoa Range, on the West Coast, in his expedition journal "Touch the Wilderness"and his photos of native birds have been published in magazines.

Trev collects oral histories from the area and is always on for a yarn.

Trevor and Gail have sold a forested portion of their 120 acre property for the establishment of a Kiwi Crèche to be run by the Paparoa Wildlife Trust. Predator-proof fencing is currently being erected.

The Trust will collect eggs from the Paparoa ranges for incubation in a special facility in Canterbury. When the chicks hatch from the eggs they will be released into the safety of the Kiwi crèche until they are big enough to defend themselves against stoats and rats. Chicks are fitted with transmitters and monitored until they are 1.2kg.

You will be able to hear them calling and feeding at night from the lodge.

A "spine tingling" Kiwi experience - see video

Ian Cooper owns and operates Okarito Kiwi Tours

It all began one night out in the bush when Ian was looking for kiwi. He was sitting quietly enjoying the night sky. From the bush a kiwi emerged. Ian was hooked.

Ian came to New Zealand in 1998 as a backpacker. He was visiting all the small towns around the Country. Late 1998, Ian was dropped off at the turnoff to Okarito. It was raining, however, the first car picked Ian up and bought him into the village.
Intending to stay 2 nights then move on to the next small place something captured his heart. The love of Okarito life began.


Ian was lucky to be able to earn his board and keep, helping out at the local Motel/Backpacker.
11 years later and Ian has now built a house, bought out his long term partner and little Daisy is running round with the proud knowledge of being born on the West Coast.

In 1999, Ian became involved with the Department of Conservation after seeing his first kiwi. He started to volunteer his time on the local kiwi program. Since those beginnings he has gone onto to work with the majority of the kiwi species. He has had stints working on many remote Islands. One of them - Codfish Island, working with the 'Rarest' Parrot in the world, the Kakapo.

Ian and Wendy bought a small piece of land in Okarito in 2000. Not being affluent people, they had to return to the UK for 18 months for work their socks off. Arriving back at Heathrow with only 5 pounds between them, they both found work quickly and worked solid with the ultimate goal to return to Okarito in a year and a half. Working 3 jobs each, the goal was reached.

After returning to Okarito, Ian and Wendy set about building their house. Starting at the end of April 2004, they moved in by August !

Ian worked as a kayak guide for a couple of years, he decided he wanted to be self sustaining. Always a dream to take people out into the bush at night he approached DoC with his plans. Expecting to be laughed at and told to go away, he was surprised to be told that he was the right person to be undertaking the rarest job on the South Island!

Concessions in New Zealand are required to work in a National Park. They are notoriously slow to obtain and usually full of red tape and legal jargon. Ian applied for his concession in July 2006. His concession was granted by the Minister and he opened for business in September 2006. An incredible start to an incredible journey.

With a professional approach and the emphasis on low-key, low-impact guiding, Ian was hoping to achieve a 50% rate in seeing the rarest kiwi in the world. In the Season 2008-09 his success rate was an impressive 98%.

This year Ian was approached by the Oiled Wildlife Response Team. He has since taken up the position as 'Wildlife Expert' on the West Coast.

His passion will remain sharing the special environment with tourists and travellers. His main focus will always be the welfare of the kiwi. His trip involves not only seeing this rare bird but learning about what makes New Zealand the perfect home for these iconic birds.



Many of Ians visitors have shared their experiences on www.rankers.co.nz

Ian's tours operate all year round. His trips start around 1 hour prior to sunset at his office/house.

Bookings are essential as Ian takes a maximum of 10 people per night. Trips cost $60 per person

Please bring :
Warm, but, Quiet clothes ( NO WATERPROOFS )
Sturdy boots
Insect repellent
Great Attitude
Patience
Patience
Patience

A Match Made in Heaven

“Swade” Finch, born and raised in Titahi Bay near Wellington, NZ, has been living on the West Coast of the South Island for over 30 years. He spent 10 years as head guide at the Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki south of the glaciers near Haast. Prior to that, he spent many years deep sea fishing in Alaska as well as crayfishing in the most interesting fashion off the West Coast of NZ with long time friend Barry Wyber (ask him how they launched the boat – that’s a great story!).

Guiding at the Lodge he spent much of his time with guests from around the world, showing them the rare Fiordland Crested Penguin, leading them on walks through the magnificent rainforest and entertaining them in the evenings as he transformed into chief bartender!

Paula Sheridan, born and raised in the extreme climes of Canada, came to New Zealand as a tour guide. Having spent some years in a remote part of British Columbia working at a luxury Helicopter Ski Resort, her interests moved to guiding guests through the Canadian Rockies by bicycle. She arrived on the shores of NZ in 2001 and she, along with many guests over the years, travelled by bicycle around the South Island, spending time at the Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki along the way. You can see where this is heading!

Three years later, a gleam in Swade’s eye and a sparkle in Paula’s led them to agreeing to spending some time exploring the little known village of Okarito together. The quiet, remote village with its long stretches of beach along the wild coast was a haven for two guides to relax and yes, fall in love!

The next few years ensued with Paula’s return to Canada and back again and a few too many farewells being said on those same beaches of Okarito, so she decided to uproot from CanadaNew Zealand. Leaving the cycle tour business somewhat behind, she worked as a kayak guide in Okarito and set up home in a wee bach. It didn’t take long for her and Swade to combine forces and seize the opportunity to work together when the small eco-tourism based business of Okarito Boat Tours came up for sale.

Swade and Paula now live happily in a somewhat larger bach on the beach at Okarito. Running Okarito Boat Tours keeps them both in the guiding business sharing with their guests the magnificence of the scenery of the west coast and the birdlife on the Okarito Lagoon and River.

Paula, a yoga teacher and massage therapist, is also furthering her studies in natural therapies with reflexology, aromatherapy and Reiki and works out of her studio at home. She and Swade round out their busy schedule by managing the local campground in Okarito, and a holiday home for others looking to explore this quiet little village and the wonderful experiences it offers up.

They welcome you to come and explore this “magic” part of the coast of New Zealand and maybe even learn where “Swade” got his name – and that’s another story!

Woof Woof - a marvellous little bird

Woof Woof has lived at Whanagrei Native Bird Recovery Centre since he was about 5 days old. When Robert Webb took him in he knew the little tui chick would never fly. Robert hoped the Tui would be of educational value for visitors, but at 2 years of age Woof Woof became a star... He named himself and began to talk. Woof Woof picks up commonly used phrases but has a startling moments where he directs visitors "around the other side and up the steps" to see the other birds on display. (Watch a video of Woof Woof talking below) "A Tui in captivity is a sorry sight" Robert cautions. "Tuis are specialist feeders and would not ususally survive in captivity long term. It just wouldn't work." Robert would hate to think that people would even try to catch a Tui as they have fragile long legs and claws. Robert discovered that Tuis were occasionaly kept at Maori Pa sites in the past. They were housed in Rata vine cages and were known talkers. The Whangarei Native Bird Recovery Centre is not about caging native birds but about rescuing and rehabilitating them back in to the wild. You can help to provide food and medicines for these birds. www.whanagreinativebirdrevovery.org.nz email nativebirdrecovery@xtra.co.nz Visit the centre: State highway 14 Maunu Whanagrei ph. 09 438 1457