Brook Sabin and Radha Engling
Dear Peter Jackson: if you’re thinking of making another Lord of the Rings movie, I have your set ready to go. Forget about building more Hobbit holes, how about an enchanted tree house? Actually, this isn’t a tree house – it’s more like a tree castle, extending over three levels with a live tree growing right through it.
Don’t worry Hobbits, we know it’s 2020, and you like a bit of comfort. The tree is heated, and even has heated towel rails, and a coffee machine – hello, my precious.
We seriously love staying a night in tree houses. We’ve searched them out in Europe, and even went to Sri Lanka to try a very shonky one. So, when we found out about this, right here in New Zealand, we naturally assumed it would be in an obscure location. We live near Wha¯ nga¯ rei, so thought it’d be in Gore. Or deep in the Ureweras, hiding from me.
It turns out this fairy tale is just 11.2 kilometres from our home. And we never knew it existed.
Rolling up, we didn’t expect much. How can we, when we’ve travelled the world in search of tree houses, stumble across one right under our noses? Surely, we didn’t know about it because it’s not that good.
Well, how wrong we were. The house revealed itself like an enchanted tree castle – fit for royalty. If Meghan and Harry (their not so royal highnesses) find the American paparazzi too much, they might want to shelter here. Unless photographers manage to attach a camera to a fantail, this has all the privacy they’d ever want.
We entered the house to the smell of freshly baked bread. And the heat pump only added to the toasty atmosphere.
The first thing you notice is that this is a tree house in the true sense – it’s not just a marketing ploy. A hulking tree is growing up the middle of the building, weaving through rooms like a snake. But what is most remarkable is the quality of the place.
There are no bugs or creepy crawlies hanging
Ten minutes from Wha¯nga¯rei, just over two hours’ north of Auckland.
around. It feels like you could be in a hotel suite.
The fairy tale dates to when the house was created. The previous owner of the property built the house for his elderly mother, Margie, who dreamed of living in the bush. There are even pieces from the set of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe scattered among the house for you to go on a treasure hunt to find.
Sadly, the upper levels are off-limits thanks to council regulations – but the lower level is enchanting. You have the kitchen overlooking native bush, a lounge, a spacious bedroom, and a modern bathroom.
We’re so thankful we’re able to explore New Zealand again. We should all set ourselves a challenge to experience something new and extraordinary. And this place cast a spell on us.
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The writers’ trip was supported by Airbnb and commissioned with the help of Tourism New Zealand.