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Twin Waters Lodge
Luxury Accommodation in Collingwood, Golden Bay, New Zealand
Nestled harmoniously beside a tidal estuary and just fifty metres from a fine sand beach, the building features curved timber ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows and multilevel decks. The elegant and artistic interior has ample space for all guests to enjoy its charm and tranquility.
Waking to the sound of tuis, breakfasting in the sun, sipping wine on the decks overlooking the estuary, or savouring a delicious dinner, there’s sure to be a special moment to remember your stay.
Trish and Mike have been in the hospitality business for many years and take pride in creating a relaxing atmosphere for their guests. They have a passion for travelling and love meeting fellow travellers and sharing experiences.
Meet Flynn
Late last year we acquired a new family member. Flynn is a boxer puppy, now about 15 months old. Flynn is everyone’s best friend – or that’s what he thinks! For people who like dogs, he is a lot of fun and good entertainment. For people who don’t like dogs or may have allergies – he is not allowed in the guest areas of the Lodge and has no contact with the guest rooms or guest lounge. He generally inhabits the back yard (fenced) or our home, which is part of the Lodge. For the record, he is not allowed in the kitchen and is banished from shared areas during meals. Many of our guests during the summer have [...]
Pohutakawa – the New Zealand Xmas Tree
Pohutakawa are generally considered the New Zealand Xmas tree because they flower around Xmas time. Ours usually flower a little later and today they are in full bloom. Their brilliant red / crimson flowers are a blaze of colour and Totara Avenue is alive with red. They are also a favourite of the bees, and this tree, which is situated to the north of the Lodge lawn, was surrounded by a cloud of honey bees. The storm that caused so much damage down the west coast was a minor event here, blowing through in the night, and it has been followed by fine sunny days. We noted a temperature of 22 C on the front deck at 6 pm today. [...]
Christmas best wishes…
… to all from us at Twin Waters Lodge. As the end of year approaches, we move into summer holiday mode. The Pohutakawa is New Zealand’s native Christmas tree, traditionally coming into flower about now, and there are quite a few of them around, but I prefer the southern rata, which flowers a bit earlier. The photo above was taken early this morning from the kitchen window, and shows the early morning sun lighting up the hillside that we look out at from the kitchen and dining room of Twin Waters Lodge. The red trees are all southern ratas, in full bloom. This tree was driven nearly to extinction by the opossum, an introduced species, and it is only due [...]
A rare sighting…
The banded rails are still around. The small population of banded rails in “our” inlet is the only occurrence of these birds known in the South Island of New Zealand. They are a fugitive species, living amongst the reeds and on the mudflats. They are rarely seen – we see them maybe once or twice a year. Last week as we were driving home from Collingwood, one ran across the road just in front of us. Fortunately we were not driving very fast, so we got a good look and the bird was safe. The photograph was taken this morning from our dining room deck, to show the area of the Waikato Inlet where these birds live. The weather at [...]
Welcome to our new web site
Our new look web site has gone live this week. It has been rebuilt to add compatibility with mobile devices and to give an up to date look and feel. We hope you like it! On Wednesday we had a spectacular sunrise over Golden Bay, with unusual cloud formations. This continues a run of fine, warm and dry weather we have been having over the past few weeks. The summer is forecast to be warm and dry – bring it on!
An Unusual Bird
Last week, when driving in to Collingwood , we saw an unusual bird on the road. It was walking across the road in a manner similar to a pukeko, but the bird was brown. From a distance, I thought it might be a weka, but weka have been absent from our area for many years from a viral epidemic. It was also in a wetland area – not a usual habitat for the weka. The wekas have come back to parts of Golden Bay but have not reached us yet. A mixed blessing, I think, because although these birds are quite friendly and interesting to watch, they are also very mischevous and destructive. Anyway, back to the bird in question: [...]
Open for Guests
Twin Waters Lodge is now open for guests. Today, it looks as if spring is really here and summer not far away – the sky is blue and it is warming up. With the help of two French Wwoofers, a major clean-up and preparation was done to get everything in shape for the new season. Wwoofers (no, it is not a spelling mistake) are international visitors who work voluntarily in exchange for bed and board. For more information about this scheme, see http://www.wwoof.co.nz/. Following a wet winter there was a lot of growth of our gardens and lawns, and there was a lot of excess vegetation to be dealt with. Yesterday I heard my first call of the shining cuckoo [...]
Spring Equinox
Today is the spring equinox. That means the days are drawing out and summer is coming. We are preparing Twin Waters Lodge for re-opening in late October. The kowhais are in flower and the Tuis and bellbirds are having a great time. A particularly brightly coloured bellbird was on one of the Kowhais in the courtyard yesterday. The male is more brightly coloured then the female, and it is possible the colours may be more intense during mating season. The past few days have been fine and clear, marking the end of a long, wet winter. Today we are thinking about gardens and beaches. Since I last wrote, we have acquired a boxer puppy we have named Flynn. He loves [...]
The Story of Kahu
It is now mid winter. The days are short and cold but often beautifully fine and clear. Here is a story of a recent event at Twin Waters. The story of Kahu Land-based raptors are not widely represented in New Zealand, with the relatively common Australasian harrier hawk (Circus approximans; Kahu in Maori) being more prevalent and the smaller native New Zealand falcon (Falco novaeseelandiae) relatively uncommon. The much larger Haast eagle (Harpagornis moorei), the largest raptor ever known, has been extinct for several hundred years, owing to the extinction of its main prey, the flightless moa. In Golden Bay, we have larger numbers of raptors than elsewhere in New Zealand, largely because of the absence of the Australian magpie, [...]
Closed for Winter
The season is over and Twin Waters Lodge is closed for winter. We expect to re-open in October 2012, but an exact date has not been decided, and it may depend on demand. We had a late “Indian” summer, that is still going on as I write. Last week I went down to the Anatori River for a couple of days. The scenery there is truly spectacular, and it is well worth guests taking an extra day, if they can, to explore the Whanganui Inlet and beyond – Maungarakau, Patarau and the Anatori. Those with a 4-wheel drive can ford the Anatori river and continue on the road, which goes to the Turimawiwi river, from which it is possible to [...]
A Great Summer
We are having a great summer and the Bay is pretty much back to normal, except that road access to Totaranui and Awaroa is not yet restored. The slips and washouts on that road are going to need major engineering works to rebuild, and we do not expect road access until next summer. Meantime, there is a regular water taxi service from Port Tarakohe.
Floods!
Over the last week Golden Bay has been subjected to the worst floods in 150 years – this on top of the December 28 floods last year. This time the Western part of the Bay was not badly affected, with the Aorere River peaking at a level considerably lower, and the river not changing its course – the remediation work done during the year seems to have done its job. The road between Takaka and Collingwood was closed for several days, due to a washout at Birds Hill (just past the turnoff to Pupu Springs as you go towards Collingwood), but it was opened briefly yesterday and fully today. There is a short 1-way system for traffic, controlled by lights, [...]
Open for the New Season
Today we open for the new season. We have recently returned from our own holiday – in the Cook Islands, where we experienced some great hospitality and got some new ideas to offer at Twin Waters Lodge. This season will be our first offering a self-catering option for guests. This is a budget alternative where guests can get their own breakfast, and use the small kitchen off the guest lounge to prepare meals – see my previous post for more details. Of course we still offer our full service package for those that want it. Our news has been dominated by two things – the Rugby World Cup and the ship that has run aground at Tauranga. The latter has [...]
Winter has Struck!
Yesterday winter truly struck. We awoke to a dusting of snow on the hills just across the estuary. Puddles were frozen over and there was a layer of frost in most lower places. Today it is frosty, but with brilliant sunshine and bracing air. This has made us start thinking about summer – and the reopening of Twin Waters Lodge. This year we will open on October 21, the Friday of Labour weekend. We have just announced our new “self service” option. Guests have in the past requested a degree of self-catering, and we are pleased to offer this for the forthcoming season on a trial basis. Rooms will have basic cutlery and crockery, and limited kitchen facilities are available [...]
Aorere Bridge and the Floods
Last weekend as I was cycling in to Collingwood, I startled a bird feeding in the drain near the Aorere bridge. I was unable to identify it, other than as a heron with a short neck – some kind of night-heron. I am now reasonably sure, after considerable research, that what I saw was the juvenile form of the Nankeen night-heron. This bird is self-introduced from Australia and the adult plumage is spectacular. The juvenile is a mottled brown, and it has large yellow eyes. For a photo of this bird see: http://www.treknature.com/gallery/Oceania/Australia/photo179462.htm I don’t know what happened to my blogs from January and February – it appears there has been a problem uploading tham and they have vanished into [...]
Closed for Winter
The days are shorter and the weather cooler: winter is upon us. Twin Waters Lodge is now closed for winter (although we will take special bookings if we are here – phone us to ask). We open again at Labour weekend, on Friday October 22. We took some time off last week to go fishing, based at nearby Totaranui, and hour’s drive away in the middle of Abel Tasman National Park. Fishing off Separation Point was good, with some large blue cod being caught (limit 3 per person), as well as some small sharks and a couple of kahawai. A highlight of the fishing was a visit from an albatross, tentatively identified as a Salvin’s albatross from its grey head [...]
Wharariki Beach
Yesterday we went to Wharariki Beach again with friends from Canada. I am always impressed with this beach – the relaxing walk across the farmland to reach the beach and the dramatic scenery when we get there… and of course the seals. We counted no fewer than 12 seal pups and several adults. The seals seem quite unafraid of humans and as long as people continue to respect them, there is no reason why this should not continue. I attach a photo Trish took of a couple of seal pups while we are visiting.
The Spoonbills have Returned
Starting with best intentions, I seem to have lagged in keeping this up-to-date. March has been a surprise, with a much greater number of guests than previous years. The weather has been generally good, and the extended daylight saving time (which has just ended) has made for long pleasant evenings. Trish has recently been walking up on the hills across the inlet, and has taken some nice photos looking down on the Lodge. The royal spoonbills have returned to the Collingwood estuary, with a flock of more than 20 there.
The White Herons are Back
At last, some rain! We have had 16 mm of rain overnight, so now the browned off landscape can revert to its usual green, and the water tanks will be topped up. The white herons are back in numbers. I saw two in the Aorere estuary at Collingwood on the weekend, and another out at the West Coast yesterday. One of the ones in Collingwood was competing with two white-faced grey herons for a patch that obviously had good heron food. The godwits are still all here, many on the beach at Totara Ave, but expected to start their migration soon.
Have a look at our rooms!
Shanghai
The Shanghai room offers a theme of the orient – mixed Chinese and Japanese decor. It has a queen bed. The private deck looks out over a lawn. This room faces North and gets full sun during the day.
Zanzibar
Zanzibar displays the African-Arabian mix of this exotic island. It has twin beds. The private screened deck looks out to garden.
Safari
Safari is our African themed room. It has a queen bed. The private deck screened looks out to garden.
Naigani
Naigani is our Pacific Island themed suite. It has a queen bed and a bathroom suitable for the disabled. This suite is wheelchair compliant. The private screened deck looks out to garden.