Pipinui getaway is on point
Ahop, skip and jump from the hustle and bustle in our capital city, Siobhan Downesfinds a secluded coastal retreat that will blow you away.
I’m sitting in an outdoor hot tub 250 metres above the Tasman Sea, the steaming water I’m immersed in proving far more inviting than the churning mass below. lie back, the wind whipping through my hair. Perched on a clifftop, with moody clouds obscuring the faint outline of the South Island’s peaks in the distance, I feel as though I’m at the very edge of the world.
A whirring sound interrupts my solitary soak. Like something out of a spy film, a sleek black helicopter passes overhead, carrying a VIP across Cook Strait. I can’t resist giving them a cheeky little wave from my watery throne.
This top-secret location is Pipinui Point, a new luxury retreat set on 650 hectares of coastal farmland, half an hour out of Wellington in hariu Valley.
Many Wellingtonians will know the site as the home of Boomrock, the lodge that has been a popular wedding venue since it was built by Jonny Eastwick in the late 1990s.
Pipinui Point is 500 metres up the road, and is the brainchild of Eastwick’s son Tom, a builder by trade, who saw the opportunity to do something special with the dramatic setting, named after the rocky strip of land it overlooks.
Getting the two-bedroom hideaway up on to its prime position was no small feat. Units from prefab company Nook Homes were transported from Auckland, and had to be carefully manoeuvred through narrow valleys and up steep hills.
Everything about Pipinui Point has been designed to showcase the extreme environment, with a spacious deck and floor-to-ceiling windows providing sweeping views of the coastline.
You could spend hours watching the temperamental sky above Wellington’s west coast. In fact, it throws its biggest tantrum of the year the night my partner and I stay.
Rain lashes at the windowpanes, and the wind screams and howls as we ignore it from the comfort of the living room, listening to the cosy crackle of the wood burner.
We ensconce ourselves in the front bedroom with the stunning views of the sea, foolishly disregarding Eastwick’s advice that the second bedroom at the back is a more sheltered option during a night of wild weather.
At one point in the wee hours, we do wonder if we might actually end up in Cook Strait, as the gusts become so violent the walls shake.
Still, there are worse places to hunker down. The house has been stocked with everything you could need for a weekend in, from books, board games and blankets to a tempting selection of wine, beers and snacks in the cupboards, which you can add to your tab. It’s also set up for longer stays, with a washing machine and dryer.
The living area has all the mod cons, including a smart TV with Netflix, Bose speakers, and a nifty little portable speaker that you can take outside with you to the bath, which magically fills up with the push of a silver button located behind the TV. You can bring in your own food – there’s a wellappointed kitchen and a Weber barbecue on the deck. But to really treat yourself, consider shelling out $60 a person for a gourmet pre-made meal prepared by the head chef at Boomrock.
This is left for you in the fridge, and all you need to do is heat it up and plate it. We enjoy a restaurant-quality dinner of Wakanui eye fillet with roast pesto potatoes, cauliflower salad and baby carrot, feeling as smug as if we’d whipped it up from scratch.
A tub of posh icecream – Lewis Road Creamery burnt butter and caramel swirl – is in the freezer for dessert.
Breakfast is included in your stay, and is marked clearly in the fridge. We ooh and aah over the luxury local brands – spiced granola from porridge makers The Oatery, Raglan coconut yoghurt, a loaf from Wellington Sourdough, and the famous Fix & Fogg peanut butter.
It’s this kind of attention to detail that makes you feel well looked after, while still enjoying the private, uninterrupted self-contained bliss.
As Eastwick puts it: ‘‘Basically, it’s the sort of place you should be able to walk around in the nude.’’
However, it’s probably a good idea to bring a swimsuit if you’re going to use that outdoor bath. Just in case of any unexpected aerial witnesses.