Dramatic Ocean Views from the Olive House

“If you are looking for an opulent getaway that shows off New Zealand’s epic landscapes, a former olive press building has now been converted into a luxury lodge with 360-degree views of the Kaikoura mountain range and coast,” Alex Butler writes for Lonely Planet Travel News.

“The Olive House is a new lodge on the site of Hapuku Lodge where guests can stay in other forms of unique accommodation like its signature tree houses. The new accommodation is actually the building that formerly held the farm’s olive press,” Butler writes.

“While the luxurious interior is sure to please, the vast windows are perhaps what travellers will spend the most time looking through, as they can view native bush, an olive orchard and deer herds with dramatic mountains and the Pacific Ocean in the background.

“The area of Kaikoura is famous for its marine life and landscapes and is considered to be one of the world’s top eco-marine tourism destinations, where guests can find wildlife like dolphins, penguins, petrels, and New Zealand fur seals. The area offers up activities like whale watching, nature tours and bush hiking, so outdoorsy guests will have plenty to do to fill their time. Guests staying at the lodge can even try out the Kaikoura Aftershock Adventure – a 40-minute helicopter flight that shows off geological and environmental changes to Kaikoura coastal areas, mountain ranges, rivers and infrastructure following the devastating earthquake that happened back in 2016.”

Hapuku Lodge is owned by Tony Wilson, who grew up in Wellington before moving to San Francisco where he attended the Boalt Law School at the University of California in Berkeley.

Original article by Alex Butler, Lonely Planet Travel News, May 31, 2018.

Photo by Olive House.