Riverside paradise
Who doesn’t long for time out in a tranquil setting? Walt Dickson has found a haven in the foothills of the Tararuas.
Typical of many New Zealand rivers, downstream the Waingawa hides its headwater treasures. To the travelling motorist, the Waingawa limps through a shallow channel in the riverbed passing under the busy State Highway Two bridge at the southern entrance of Masterton.
Just 15km upstream however, the scene could not be more contrasting; clear waters, free flowing and hugely inviting, not to mention stunning Aotearoa New Zealand wilderness.
What is even more appealing, at Kaituna Riverside Cottagesyou pretty much have a stretch of this paradise all to yourself.
Rosie and Dan bought the dream piece of river frontage property 14 months ago. They had been looking for some sort of lifestyle block but had not in their wildest dreams anticipated finding a hectare of stunning bush and river frontage in the foothills of the Tararua Ranges.
“We fell in love the moment we came out here . . . from that point on things happened really quickly,” Rosie recalls.
It was a case of quickly in the sense that they closed the deal, but then Covid-19 intervened putting on hold plans to open for visitors.
But all’s well that ends well, and the domestic tourism hiatus allowed Rosie and Dan to apply the finishing touches to their Glade Cottage offering and further finesse Kaituna Riverside Cottages.
With an existing house already on site, Rosie and Dan have built a super cute and cosy self-contained cottage in amongst a beautiful stand of bush. From the cottage, guests have exclusive access to a riverside peninsula, with a private swimming spot, waterfall, outdoor bath and sheltered bush walks. Being on the Tararua’s edge, native birds are abundant, and the fresh sound and scent of the river is a constant.
The setting is idyllic, making it the perfect place to escape and rejuvenate. While there are many nooks and crannies at Kaituna Riverside Cottages that Rosie can justifiably wax lyrical about, one of her favourites is the riverside bath, heated by an adjoining log burner. A classic old bath-tub, it sits atop a cliff overlooking the river, and surrounded by bush it is also soaked in birdsong.
For adventurous folk, Kaituna Riverside Cottages is a mere 700 metres away from the entrance to the Tararua Forest Park, which offers superb hiking; and if the trout aren’t biting out the front of the Glade Cottage, there are numerous prime fishing spots in the forest park.
Although living on site also, Rosie says that she makes it her mission to let guests feel as though they have the place all to themselves.
“It’s such a magical place, we are so happy to be able to share it with others,” Rosie says.As part of the tariff, a light breakfast is provided. For more, see here
