Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)
The lodge was established so visitors could discover and enjoy the huge diversity of natural landscapes, plants and animals in the Southern Alps. We also celebrate the cultural diversity and history of a historic high country sheep station, Cora Lynn.
We operate under our 2006 Conservation and Environment Protection Policy and Operation Plan. We are leaders in our community in the protection of nature through sensitive nature tourism. This has resulted in strong community support for protecting high country lands and wildlife in the Southern Alps. In our 10 years of operation we have achieved some specific conservation goals. In 2004, we helped to create the Lake Pearson Wildlife Refuge to protect endangered waterbirds from powerboats and jetskiis. In 2001 we helped create New Zealand’s first Tussockland Park, 22,000ha Korowai-Torlesse to protect dry mountain ecosystems. In 2000-2003 we encouraged the establishment of the Operation Ark pest control programme in National Park land surrounding the Lodge to save critically endangered orange fronted parakeet and yellowhead birds.
We have worked to safeguard around half our property- an area of 1200ha as a nature reserve. This has involved the fencing of these areas to exclude domestic stock. Over 10 years we have run a pest control programme in these areas to kill introduced rats, mice, possums and European stoats to save native birds and rare plants.
We lead by example. Since the establishment of the lodge 10 years ago a range of other eco tourism businesses in our region and elsewhere in New Zealand have followed our lead and we have encouraged them to do this. We continue to provide a mentor role to many of these businesses.
We have inspired tens of thousands of lodge visitors over 10 years of operation with our passion for nature, wildlife and “going easy on the earth”. We do not allow tourist helicopters or jet boats to operate from the lodge.
Visitors are inspired by the sympathetic architecture and landscaped surroundings, the great food, wine, hospitality and our enthusiasm for discovering and appreciating nature from the lodge. We have large numbers of return guests to the lodges.
The beech forests and birdlife around the lodge have also benefited from the pest control efforts that we carry out and by those that are carried out by the Department of Conservation in surrounding lands. These have received our strong and public support in the face of some controversy.
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
