Escape to an eco lodge
Imagine staying in a tree house, or a circular dome made from the Earth itself. New Zealand’s surprising eco lodges let you connect completely with nature.
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An eco holiday in New Zealand will fill you with optimism for the future. You’ll see how it’s possible to have a memorable, re-energising, adventurous vacation while still treading lightly on the Earth.
The Kiwi talent for ingenuity has been put to great use at eco lodges throughout the country. You’ll find unique forms of accommodation, supported by eco-compatible activities, such as yoga, craft and cooking schools, forest trails and mind-body healing retreats.
Qualmark, New Zealand tourism's official quality agency, has an enviro-assured rating system that ranks properties based on their environmental impact. When you look for accommodation, make sure you look out for QualmarkEnviro Gold – achieved with the highest level of eco attainment.
Tipi tents and earth domes in Raglan
At Solscape Eco Retreat you can stay on a beautiful 10-acre property that’s sprinkled with various types of eco accommodation. Get closer to nature by staying in a tipi tent, which has smoke flaps that open to let you see the stars. Get cosy in an earth dome, which looks something like an above-ground hobbit house. Or settle into a re-purposed train carriage, ex NZ-Rail. As well as eco accommodation, Solscape offers courses, workshops and retreats in practical sustainability and holistic well-being.
Eco with a luxury touch
In Kaikoura, on the east coast of the South Island, Hapuku Lodge & Tree Houses provides another style of eco accommodation – this time at the luxury end of the spectrum. Owned by a family of architects who are guided by green ethics, the lodge is a contemporary country hotel with custom-designed beds that have been described as ‘the most comfortable beds in the South Island’. But the major attraction at Hapuku Lodge is the tree houses. Each tree house is nested in a canopy of native manuka trees and all have dramatic mountain and sea views.
Your own eco home
Named the most energy-efficient house in New Zealand, ‘Little Greenie’ is the perfect romantic retreat for eco couples. It looks out over Golden Bay in the Nelson region, catching the afternoon sun and storing the heat for later. Every aspect of the house is green - it has an innovative composting toilet, double-glazed windows, solar underfloor heating and a gorgeous outdoor bath, where you can immerse yourself in scenery and solar-heated hot water.
Holiday with a clear conscience
New Zealand has always been clean and green, and now it’s getting even greener. By supporting eco lodges and Earth-friendly activities, you’re helping to reduce the overall impact of tourism on the planet. Vote with your feet and minimise your carbon footprint by wandering up the pathway of green travel.