Robin and John

Everyone's got a story to tell.

John loves the outdoors, he is an avid hunter and fisher. A trained motor vehicle mechanic, he gave it away to follow his passion for hunting.
As a young man, he worked in South Westland hunting on foot and from helicopters in the venison boom.

John has always looked for opportunities to spend his life doing what he loves. He had a go at farming for a couple of years and spent a season lobster fishing.

When he married Robin they managed a fishing lodge in Artic Canada for 4 months. John thought he wouldn't mind having a lodge of his own in New Zealand.

John describes walking into a nice piece of property, overlooking the Hanmer Valley. To finance his dream he worked on a lucrative little niche market. John captured and exported live Chamois to international zoos to pay for the foundations of the Lodge.

Once they started building, they found it had to be completed faster than expected. The dry nor-west wind threatened to warp the timber and John had to launch himself out of choppers again, catching more chamois with net guns to pay the builders.


Robin is the strong backbone of their business. She's his muse, manager and support crew.
"I'd be lost without her."

John says "We're pretty rich from the point of view of the people we meet and the lifestyle that we've got. That’s our wealth."

"Everyone's life is different, everyone's got a story to tell."

Isolation, but no hardship

Robyn’s gaze sweeps across the mountain pastures. 

She enjoys the natural beauty of their alpine home.
Her professional eye calculates the health of the ewes and their new lambs; always alert for changes that may require her assistance.

Robyn runs the sheep station and Angus Stud with her husband Johnny.

Her feminine creativity runs to garden art.

Two miniature Trafalgar Lions stare out from the platform of the relocated cottage, they have a long wait for a train. 

The cottage was originally a New Zealand Railway House, but has now retired to the silence and splendid isolation of the hill country farm.

Isolation, but no hardship; the cottage has electricity and a “Fatso” cast iron log burner to keep it warm.

Robyn has softened the otherwise spartan feel of the cottage with freshly decorated walls, original paintings and old fashioned rose-print fabrics.

Farm fresh eggs complete the welcome in the kitchen.

 The winding road to the cottage is sound with only one dry creek bed that fords easily. The road climbs sheep covered ridges and decends into green gullies.

The farm has been in the family for 109 years. Johnny’s father founded their Angus breeding line in the 1930s.

They now have a Stud of Australasian renown.

250 cows that winter on the hills, without reqiring supplementary feed.

60 bulls per year meet the stringent criteria of the stud principal and are sold in the annual bull sale on the property in June.

Around the homestead in spring, new calves frolick in the lush green pastures.

Pam and Mark

Mark must come from entrepreneurial stock. He slips easily into talking about his brother Kim who made an astonishing movie, Shadowlands, with a camera mounted on a helicopter flying through the fiords. Because there was nowhere to play it, Kim built a cinema.
There was no bar to celebrate in, so he built one of those too. Mark jokes that he is the best patron.

In a remote place like Te Anau, transport by helicopter seems logical. Mark has been based there since he was 15 and has been flying choppers since he was 22.

Mark put the first notches in his belt in the days of venison recovery. 

The culture of that era has been described in the novel Hawks by Andrew Grant: "This was a time when the cowboys rode choppers instead of horses and used semi-automatic weapons, not six guns. They lived, worked and sometimes died in the most rugged and spectacular corner of this country - the vast Fordland wilderness." Hawks, Andrew Grant 1999.
The art of capturing live deer meant honing up new skills and working with a mate who could jump out of the chopper at the fleeing animal. Not a job for the faint hearted: for more stories click here

Mark worked for a helicopter company in Alaska, contracted to the US Government transporting Biologists and Vets in a programme to fit radio collars and track elk, caribou, wolves and grizzly bears.

Visiting Colorado, Mark was intrigued by a Log Cabin. He determined that, when he found the right place in New Zealand, he would have a go building one himself. The 10 acres in Te Anau, remote and framed by the natural landscape certainly fit the bill. Mark and Pam enjoy their own log home and have a log cabin for guests.

When he is not at home in New Zealand Mark works as a chopper pilot, shifting drill rigs in Alaska. 


Pam sometimes travels with Mark as his manager.
At home she is a keen golfer, living next door to the course.
Mark reckons she has her work cut out keeping an eye on him.

Pam and Mark offer a luxury two bedroom log cabin - a King loft and a King bedroom that sleep up to 5 people.
The Cabin is spacious and fully equipped with all modern amenities, telephone and wifi.

Relax and enjoy complimentary New Zealand wine by the fire or enjoy it in the sunshine on the deck. Breakfast supplies are provided to you daily and include fresh farm eggs, bacon and venison sausages, freshly baked bread, croissants, home-made muesli and fresh seasonal fruit.


$400 for 2 people
$50 extra per person

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 Cultural Ambassador

Glenice speaks Japanese.
She needed to because she had sixteen trips to Japan, promoting New Zealand, Wool and Wool Craft.

A resilient and driven woman with eight children and a farm to run with her husband; Glenice was, and still is, a weaver in her spare time at home in South Westland.

In 1989 she received a NZ Wool Board Award which paid her expenses to Japan on behalf of the NZ Embassy.

Glenice spoke at fairs and events about New Zealand. She was motivated to share her passion for wool with Japanese craft groups. With a laugh, she says she didn't dare try and teach anything about weaving because the Japanese culture has mastery with silk.

Glenice spent the majority of her time in the northern Hokkaido Prefecture.

Wool Craft was particularly suited to the long winters and she thought it would be a useful thing to teach. She further explains that, in the North, there is snow for five months and the sea freezes as the temperature drops to 40 below.

One of her highlights was experiencing the autumn salmon run.

Glenice was often asked to talk about New Zealand at schools. She marvels at her experiences; she once taught a kindergarten class of 120 5-year-olds how to felt. After a very busy two hours, each of them had brightly coloured NZ wool ball to take home to show their family.

With a New Zealand-Japan Foundation Grant she was able to take her husband Jim to Japan with her. He was a great help; carrying and organising her equipment for events. He also entertained with the men, which saved her another job.

Jim had been part of the occupying force after WWII.
He had always liked the Japanese, their diligence and their strong work ethic had appealed to his farming mindset. He was astonished at the developments since his time in Tokyo during the war when the city had been flattened.

Glenice described her trips to Japan as unpaid working holidays - "I was just a cultural ambassador" she says, as if anyone of us would have the artistry or the tenacity.

View Glenice Purcell in a larger map

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.

Anne Bannock - Artist

Anne Bannock Artist in the Nelson Region

Get Lost in the Nicest Possible Way     

Anne Bannock's Gallery and Cottage Accommodation

Up in the Orinoco Valley, Anne has had a go at just about every art media: etching and print making, painting with oils, stained glass, weaving and knitting.

At the moment she is absorbed in pastels and watercolours.

Inspired by her bright, colourful, casual garden "it’s a real garden with some weeds in it" Anne says in her cheery manner. "I like to go with what ever is happening and paint what comes."

She delights in the creative process. 

"Some of my past paintings I think… Well how did I do that? I don’t think I could paint like that again. Its like that. You start off with an idea but somehow it comes out different when it leaves your fingers."

In her Gallery she has 8 costumes that were accepted by the Wearable Art Awards.

An arty visitor can browse in peace while other members of the family explore the Hedge Maze and get lost in the nicest possible way.

Anne Bannock is inspired by her colourful garden. You are invited to explore her 26ha property, the Orinoco Stream meanders by with lovely picnic spots and small swimming holes.

The mature hedge maze is a challenge, feeding the eels is fun, and the art gallery inspiring.

Get lost, in the nicest possible way.

Orinoco Valley, Nelson Region

A self contained 3-bedroom cottage, well away from traffic noise.

The water supply is sourced from a pure underground spring.

Excellent art and craft outlets, vineyards and restaurants are virtually on the doorstep. Anne and Mike can point you to great trout fishing, picnic and swimming spots. There are numerous bike riding trails, both on and off the quiet roads.

The cottage has beautiful mountain and pastoral views.

1 Queen, 1 Double, 3 Singles and 2 Sofa beds

$85      The Orinoco Cottage

                ● accommodation for 2 people, $10 per extra person

$270    New Zealand Summer Romance

            ●2 nights accommodation  ●2 dinner hampers with wine

Run away to the hidden seclusion of the Orinoco Valley for 2 nights. Take pleasure in crafting your own delicious meal from a hamper of local vege, garden herb and poultry, complimented by a local white wine. Let your creativity flow or follow Anne's easy, tried and true Lemon and Herb Chicken recipe that comes with you provisions. Continue the indulgence with a luxurious, aromatic soak in the deep ball-and-claw bath to finish the bottle of wine. Bliss.

$500    Art Retreat / Group Workshop

            ●3 nights accommodation for up to 4 people

Stay at the cottage and spend two full days on location working up a composition with casual tutelage from Anne. Bring your own art materials and food.

Autumn is a lovely time to capture the colour & texture of the deciduous trees.

Early spring is inspiring, when you can still see the bones of the trees, highlighted by verdant new growth and blossom.

$595    A Week away in the Valley

                ●7 nights accommodation for two

Turn your mobile phone off and escape for a whole week up the Orinoco Valley. Bring your fishing rod, sketch pad, hiking boots and a good book.

 - Specials -

$510    Between Autumn and Spring             ●stay 7 nights for the price of 6

Anne's Pamper Hamper* - stay 4 nights or more and receive a special, creative treat.

*Not available in conjunction with any other offer

 - Events -

On Thusday mornings, Anne attends a social gathering of neighbours.

Anne says they have a casual approach, "we puddle along, going with the flow and picking up hints." Anne helps where she can but mostly it’s conversation while holding a pencil or brush. The group meet as a way of getting to know each other. "Too often, in the country you can live next door but don’t see enough of each other."

                ●You are invited to come along with Anne, what a lovely way to meet real local people.

October          Garden Ramble - Anne and Mike regularly open their garden for this event.