Tawanui Farm

Tawanui Farm

Cheviot

Tawanui Farm Glamping is located between Kaikoura and Christchurch on the East coast of the South Island. It's an easy 1 hour, 15 minutes drive from Christchurch and just 15 minutes from the township of Cheviot.

The campsite itself is set on rolling farmland, surrounded by kanuka and pine plantations. Two geodesic domes, a central camp kitchen and a large hot tub are sensitively landscaped into a gentle hillside. You'll get exclusive use of the whole campsite, regardless of how many people are in your group.

An incredible 180-degree view in front of the site looks down toward the Hurunui River, with views from the inland Kaikoura mountain ranges and the North to the Pacific Ocean. 

Tawanui Farm is a working sheep, beef and deer farm so you'll see plenty of animal and birdlife. Your hosts offer ATV farm tours across their spectacular property - a great opportunity to get up close and personal. Or for the adrenalin junkies, give their Hurunui River Jet boating a try!

At the end of the day, relax in the hot tub under a vast and starry night sky, before getting cosy in your beautiful, heated dome.

Waking up to a new day you'll hear the birds singing from the pine plantation behind the site, and on some mornings, you can even hear the ocean - 3kms from the campsite.

FROM $320 p/n

  • Sleeps 8
  • 
            Children welcome
      Children welcome

A $50 Single Night Surcharge applies on top of the nightly rate when booking a single night. You will need to add this charge during the booking process. The calendar below will specify where one-night bookings are allowed.

Directions
 

Tawanui Farm is set in the Hurunui District on the East coast of the South Island, approximately 1.5 hours North of Christchurch. 

To get there, follow the Google Maps directions to Tawanui Farm.

When you get to the entrance, you'll see the track goes through some pine trees. Go through the entrance and follow the track along the ridge towards the ocean. Stay on this track all the way to the campsite. The track is approximately 3km and goes through some ups and downs and a few sharp turns. You won’t need to open any gates, so just stay on the track. A reasonably steep incline towards the end of the track will indicate you are close to the site.

The track is suitable for any vehicle in all weather conditions.

Once you get to the campsite, make yourselves comfortable and one of your hosts, Mike, Tim or Elspeth will pop up to check you're settled in and give you a quick safety briefing.

Note: You will receive a pre-arrival email with your hosts' contact details 5 days prior to your stay. If you have booked within 5 days and haven't received a pre-arrival email shortly after booking, please email us at [email protected].

Tawanui Farm

What time is check-in and check-out?

What are the bed and bedding arrangements?

What are the kitchen and cooking facilities?

What are the bathroom facilities?

Do we get the whole campsite to ourselves?

Is there power?

Is there mobile phone reception?

What sort of heating is there?

Are children welcome at Tawanui Farm?

Can I bring my dog or horse?

How private and remote is Tawanui Farm?

Where do I park my car?

Can I have a campfire?

What do I need to bring?

Are there any safety considerations?

Can I book for one night only?

Minimum Stay Periods

Rates

Activities

Gift Vouchers

2. booking and payments

3. Guest cancellations and date changes

4. Host Cancellations

5. safety and hazards

6. pets

7. GST

8. conditions of occupancy and conduct

9. Complaints

10. Liability

11. Gift vouchers

12. Law

13. Changes to booking conditions

14. Authority to sign

  • Eating and Drinking

    Tawanui Farm Glamping is self-catering. Just bring your own food and drink, and cook meals using the facilities provided in your camp kitchen. You'll find all the cutlery, crockery, pots and pans that you'll need.

    If you want a break from cooking at any stage, Cheviot is just a 15-minute drive away. The Twin Rivers café/gallery with Mt Beautiful Wine Tasting room comes highly recommended. The Paddock bar and restaurant and Cheviot Trust Hotel offer good hearty meals for hungry glampers. 

    If you want to go further afield, the Waipara wine area is 40 minutes South, or  Kaikoura is 1 hour North.

  • Things to do

    At the campsite, there's board games, petanque, and plenty of space to kick a ball. But if you can bear to tear yourself away from the giant 6-8 person gas-heated hot tub and spectacular views of the campsite, you'll find plenty to do in the area.

    Your hosts, the Loughnan family, operate Energy Jet, Hurunui River Experiences if you're keen for a jetboating adventure. They also offer ATV farm tours for those keen to see a true kiwi farm in action (Check out the Rates and Extras button for more information). 

    There's also swimming and fishing available at the Hurunui River, 10 minutes drive away, and surfing and swimming at Gore Bay, 20 minutes away. The Manuka Bay DOC track from the Hurunui River mouth to Gore Bay is a 10-minute drive away.

  • Your Hosts

    Your hosts at Tawanui Farm are Mike, Elspeth and Tim Loughnan - and a nicer bunch of people you couldn't hope to meet.

    The Loughnan family are the fifth generation to farm and live in the Blythe Valley. Tawanui Farm is situated towards the mouth of the Hurunui River and overlooks its beautiful waters

    Mike and eldest son Tim share the responsibilities of running the 450ha sheep and beef farm along with its tourism ventures, Energy Jet and Tawanui Farm Glamping and farm tours. Elspeth teaches at the local Cheviot Area School. Tim’s other siblings Virginia and Hugh are both involved in Environmental Consultancy in Christchurch

    The neighbouring Hurunui River has been a huge part of their lives, mainly on a recreational level. Showing people their part of the country is huge passion for the family. Combining the novelty of glamping with the thrill of jet boating and farm tours has given them a great platform for introducing their beautiful corner of the world to visitors - both Kiwi and international.

     

Testimonials

  • "

    Tawanui Farm is great for family gatherings. If you can handle the toilet situation, everything else is just perfect! Everything is provided for, and you could just sit back and relax. Highly recommended, especially in Summer.

    "

    - 08 May 2024

    1 / 12

  • "

    Great relaxing place. It's just a wonderfully relaxing place to spend a weekend doing nothing at all.

    "

    - 29 Apr 2024

    2 / 12

  • "

    Beautiful place to relax and get away from the city life.

    "

    - 24 Apr 2024

    3 / 12

  • "

    It was one of the best experiences of our whole trip. The host was very friendly and informative, and the property was just as described on the website.

    "

    - 20 Apr 2024

    4 / 12

  • "

    We originally booked at Tawanui Farm to celebrate our birthdays; however, we recently lost our baby daughter, so this was a nice place to stay to reconnect as a family, and Tawanui Farm is the place to do that. It’s private, it’s quiet, and it’s beautiful. You won’t regret your stay!

    "

    - 26 Mar 2024

    5 / 12

  • "

    Beautiful location with lots of activities for young ones: games, books, and sports equipment. Hosts were great and very responsive. Also a lovely place to just chill or have a romantic time.

    "

    - 18 Mar 2024

    6 / 12

  • "

    This was our first stay on the South Island, and we loved everything about it: the setting, the domes, the privacy, the views, the hot tub, and the stars. But best of all was our farm tour with Mike and the jet boat ride and BBQ with Tim.

    "

    - 15 Mar 2024

    7 / 12

  • "

    Such a beautiful relaxing space. My four year old also loved the experience!

    "

    - 15 Mar 2024

    8 / 12

  • "

    Absolutely amazing! So peaceful, great to be off the grid and have everything you need. We had great weather, beautiful sunset, full moon, comfy bed, fabulous views, and the hot tub is awesome. Hope we can come back to NZ one day and stay here again.

    "

    - 27 Feb 2024

    9 / 12

  • "

    Great place, great hosts. It was so relaxing and private.

    "

    - 29 Jan 2024

    10 / 12

  • "

    Love this place. Well done to the hosts.

    "

    - 14 Dec 2023

    11 / 12

  • "

    Tawanui Farm is a relaxing escape from our hectic city life. The farm is secluded in a good way, where we saw vast fields and a clear sky. Our hosts, Tim and Mike, were fantastic. They were very hands-on, providing information before and when we were there. Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Tawanui Farm and would not hesitate to recommend it to our families and friends!

    "

    - 06 Dec 2023

    12 / 12

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