Back to Nature

Kokako Retreat, about halfway between Rotorua and Tauranga, is not really what you’d expect on
a Kiwi sheep and beef farm. Three off-the-grid architectural pods atop a hill, designed with curved timber backs and glass fronts. It’s glamping, but not as you know it.

There’s the lounging space, the kitchen and bathroom, and the bedroom pod, all off the grid. It’s nestled into native bush, which wraps around on three sides, leaving a clear view out across the picturesque land. “It’s on the back corner of our farm so you won’t see any neighbours, but you
might see some cows though!” laughs Jo Wilson, who owns the property with husband Dean Dew.

The intention is for Kokako Retreat to feel like camping, like you’re really getting away from it all,
and that feeling starts from the moment you pull up. “Walking is very much the camping experience,” says Jo. “So when you arrive, you drive past horses onto a farm track that undulates until you’re near the pods, then you walk the last 200 metres.”

Similarly, the pods are designed to embrace the outdoors — you have to walk outside on boardwalks to get between each one. There’s no TV or wifi, it’s run on solar power and uses only rainwater, and there are no curtains, so you wake up to views of nature.

Dean and Jo trap pests and have planted hundreds of natives to keep
the birds fed, happy and healthy. However, it’s actually the desire to
give humans health and happiness
that inspired Kokako Retreat.

However, let’s not pretend we’re roughing it here. There’s a shower and flush toilet in the kitchen
and bathroom pod, along with a small fridge and cooking equipment, but there are a whole lot
more home comforts that mean this a world away from a regular campsite cabin.

The lounging pod has a fire burner, a couch with rugs and cushions, bean bags and a swing chair
to while away the hours, soaking in the serenity. It can also accommodate an extra couple or two
kids on a fold-out sofa. The bedroom has a queen size bed with linen provided. A gold-footed slipper bath sits just outside and comes with bath bombs made by Jo, so you can bathe in scented water while watching the sunset. 

The retreat is self catering or, to eat out, Okere Falls Store and Rotorua are both 30 minutes drive away. There are brekkie supplies, including fresh homemade bread, butter and jam, muesli, local Volcanic Creamery milk, farm-fresh eggs, fruit and treats. Jo even puts together a s’more kit to use
at the fire pit.

‍

‍

‍

The pods were built by local Rotorua company The Little Big Tiny House Company, and building
a curved back wall on the pods was a first for the company. “I think the gentle corners are soothing and make you feel calm,” says Jo. “They couldn’t do enough to help us; they went above and beyond to make our vision come to life.” 

An eco-friendly approach is carefully carried through the interior of the retreat, with all-natural products, such as wool duvets, bedside tables fashioned from round chunks of wood from the farm, and waste-free bar toiletries from local company Sulphur City Soapery.

Outdoors, it’s a short walk across the road to a DOC reserve, which offers a range of walking trails through beautiful native bush, including a short jaunt to a delightful waterfall. But there’s lots of wildlife action even closer to home.

Although guests might see dogs, sheep, cows, horses and even pigs, birdlife is the real attraction here: kererū, tūī, kōtare/kingfishers, korimako/bellbirds, pīwakawaka/fantails and pekapeka/native bats that swoop through the trees come nightfall. “We’ve heard Kiwis too,” says Jo. 

There’s also another special resident — you may well hear the rich, sonorous notes of the endangered kōkako (hence the retreat’s name), and Jo and Dean support the nearby Kokako Trust, which has a breeding programme.

‍

‍

‍

‍

They do what they can to support all the birdlife. They trap pests and have planted hundreds of natives around the property, such as harakeke/flax, which keeps the birds fed, happy and healthy.

However, it’s actually the desire to give humans some health and happiness that inspired Kokako Retreat. The family offer complimentary stays to people who have lost loved ones to suicide or are going through a difficult time. “For a long time, my daughter Aleisha struggled with mental health issues,” says Jo. “This was her idea and she has really driven it.”

Jo says Aleisha is aware of how her struggles also took a serious toll on her mum and Dean. “You don’t know other families that are going through it, and there was nothing to support us. We wanted a break but there was nothing around,” says Jo. “So now, paying customers are kind of a sideline to this retreat.”

She recently had someone call just as they were being discharged from Auckland City Hospital after a mental health crisis. Fortuitously, the retreat was free and they were able to drive straight there. When people in this situation arrive, they are given space and peace if that’s what’s required, but Jo and Dean are also there for a chat and to lend an understanding ear if that’s what’s needed. Hosts that truly go above and beyond on all levels.‍

canopycamping.co.nz/kokako-retreat

Photography by Brook Sabin

‍