Marg and Rob are excellent hosts! Te Whau is a beautifully finished accommodation with all the general amenities one could ask for. The lounge with library, individual balconies and large spacious deck with panoramic views are all added bonuses.
The fact it only has 5 rooms adds to the intimacy of the place. The additional fact that children are generally not allowed makes it ideal for couples (but unfortunate for those traveling as a family!)
The happy hour and pre-dinner appetizers are amazing! Unfortunately one of our dinner reservations overlapped with the time, which changes somewhat seasonally based on sunset, so I would be sure to ask when the “happy hour” is before making your bookings. You get to know the other guests, in addition to Marg and Rob, as much or as little as you wish during your stay. Everyone was friendly but also understood we were on our honeymoon and wanted some time to ourselves as well.
The breakfast is homemade and every single item is top notch! From black rice pudding to apple turnovers, every morning was something different and delicious to look forward to! The made-to-order cappuccinos and other specialty coffees, available during the day as well as at breakfast are another wonderful touch. Marg was also very sweet to make sure to take pictures of us each day, which are some of the only pictures we ended up with that weren’t selfies.
Marg was not only an excellent host, but helped immensely with making reservations at restaurants and booking a wine tour for us. All of her restaurant recommendations were spot on, and she made sure that each place knew it was a special trip for us.
We went with their honeymoon package, which included a welcome platter and bottle of champagne the first night. It was a wonderful spread (see below)! It could have been a whole meal by itself. It also included a dinner credit, which we used at Cable Bay Winery where we got a beautiful table at sunset and yet another amazing meal. The package also included transport to and from the ferry and a couples’ massage.
My husband elected to use his massage credit towards our private transportation instead, which helped us get around the island. Since it was our first stop in New Zealand, we were hesitant to get a car and ferry over on the first day so we took the passenger ferry instead. In hindsight, it would have been nice to have a rental car as the private transportation added up and the island is more vast than I imagined. Te Whau is beautiful in part because it’s on a relatively remote area of the island.
As an aside, the winery that used to sit essentially across the street is closed, so the lodge is rather isolated as far as walking distance. There is supposedly a very beautiful beach down a steep hill from the lodge, unfortunately named Dead Dog Bay, but we didn’t make it down there. Despite the somewhat remote location on the island, there is dependable WiFi without a daily or overall data limit, which we did not get at many other accommodations in New Zealand.