Power from the roofs
Solar panels on the main lodge and the workshop charge a battery bank that runs the lights, sockets and fans in every cabin. A diesel generator still covers long grey spells in the wet months.
Solar cabins under the canopy, meters on show
Twelve timber cabins in a forest valley, run on sunshine and rain tanks and fed from the farms around us. Read how the power, water and waste work before you book, then walk the forest with a guide who grew up in it.
12 cabinsraised on stilts among the trees
From $160a cabin a night, wet months
Mondaysreadings posted at reception
How the power, water and waste actually work
Below is what we do, how it works day to day, and what we have not solved yet. If something is missing, ask us at reception or by email and we will answer it in writing.
Hot water from the sun
Each cabin has a solar water heater on its roof. Showers are warm by mid morning and hot by afternoon; on grey days the first shower of the morning can be lukewarm.
Rain tanks and a borehole
Rain from every roof is filtered into tanks, and a borehole tops them up in the dry months. Showers have low flow heads, and we ask for short ones when the tanks are low.
Shower and sink water
Water from showers, basins and the kitchen runs through a planted reed bed before it soaks away. Toilets flush to a sealed tank that is emptied twice a year by a licensed contractor.
Food scraps and the garden
Kitchen scraps go to compost bays for the kitchen garden. Meat bones and fats cannot be composted here, so they leave with the general rubbish.
What leaves the valley
Glass, cans and paper are sorted and driven to the recycling centre in town each week. Around two bags of rubbish a week still go to landfill, most of it packaging from deliveries.
Last year's readings
Every Monday someone from the team reads the meters and writes the numbers on the board at reception. These are the totals for last year, shown as examples of what we publish.
| Reading | Last year | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity from the panels | 86% | The generator covered the rest, mostly in the two wettest months |
| Generator running time | 140 hours | Down from 310 hours before the second battery bank |
| Water per guest night | 95 litres | Showers, basins, toilets and a share of the kitchen |
| Rubbish to landfill | 2 bags a week | Mostly delivery packaging we are still working on |
| Kitchen food from within 50 km | About two thirds | Coffee, rice, oil and spices travel further |
These figures come from our own meters and receipts, not from an outside audit. We publish them so guests can judge for themselves.
Three kinds of cabin among the trees
Every cabin is timber built on stilts, with a double or twin bedroom, a shower room, a deck and sockets for phones and cameras. There is no air conditioning or kettle; a ceiling fan and hot drinks on the main terrace take their place. Rates include breakfast for everyone in the cabin.
Forest cabin
a night, from$160
- Double or two single beds
- Deck facing into the trees
- Shower room with a solar heater
- Three minutes on a path to the main lodge
Stream cabin
a night, from$185
- Deck above the water
- Outdoor shower screened by bamboo
- The sound of the stream all night
- Eight minutes on foot from the lodge
Family cabin
a night, from$240
- Double bedroom and a bunk room
- Gate at the top of the steps
- Closest to the garden and the lodge
- Cot on request
Each card shows the wet month price. Rates for each season are in the table below.
Rates through the wet and dry months
The valley is greenest and quietest in the wet months, when rates are lowest. Prices rise in spring and autumn and are highest in the dry summer weeks and school holidays.
| Cabin, a night | Wet months | Shoulder | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest cabin | $160 | $195 | $240 |
| Stream cabin | $185 | $225 | $275 |
| Family cabin | $240 | $290 | $355 |
Example rates with breakfast included. Wet months run November to March, shoulder months are April, May and October, and peak covers June to September and school holidays. Local taxes are added at the rate set where the lodge stands, since they differ by country and region. Minimum stay is two nights.
Dinner from farms you can see from the ridge
Most of what we cook comes from our own kitchen garden and from six farms in the valley, which deliver twice a week. Menus follow what they bring, so there is no fixed list, and what is short one week simply comes off the menu.
Dinner is two courses with a vegetarian main every night, at an example price of $32 a person. Breakfast is in every room rate. Mention any allergy in your request and the cook adjusts the menu before you arrive.
- Breakfast in every cabin rate
- Dinner nightly, 18:30 to 21:00
- Packed lunches for walks at $12
Walks with a guide who grew up here
Three of our four guides were born in the valley. Walks leave from the main lodge, keep to marked paths and go out in small groups of eight at most.
- Dawn birdsong, 2 hours
- Stream to the waterfall, 3 hours
- Night walk with red torches, 90 minutes
- Kitchen garden and compost, 45 minutes
- Fungi and plants, autumn only
- Ridge walk for steady legs, 5 hours
Guided walks cost $25 a person, and the garden tour is included in every stay. Children are welcome on all walks except the ridge, and the night walk suits ages eight and over. Paths can be slippery after rain, so bring shoes with good grip.
Cabins, reeds and batteries
Inside a cabin, a dawn walk, the reed bed, dinner on the terrace, the battery shed and the stream.
From the cabin guest book (example reviews)
We liked that nobody pretended the place was perfect. The board at reception showed the generator had run that week, and the manager explained why without being asked.
Our children still talk about the night walk with red torches and the compost tour. The family cabin's bunk room and the gate on the steps made it easy with a four year old.
The first shower on a grey morning was lukewarm, exactly as the website warned. Dinner from the garden more than made up for it.
Asked before arriving in the valley
Can we charge laptops and phones in the cabin?
Yes. Every cabin has sockets for phones, cameras and laptops. Hair dryers and other heating appliances draw too much from the batteries, so please leave them at home; there is one at reception.
Is there wifi?
There is wifi in the main lodge and on the terrace, not in the cabins. Phone signal in the valley comes and goes.
Can we reach you without a car?
Yes. Our shuttle meets two trains a day at the nearest railway station for $15 a person each way. Ask for it when you send your dates.
Do you offset our travel?
No. We do not sell offsets or count them in our figures. We would rather show what the lodge itself uses and keep working to bring that down.
How do deposits and cancellations work?
One night's rate secures a confirmed cabin, paid to us directly. If your plans change more than 14 days ahead, that deposit is returned; inside 14 days we keep it, unless another guest takes the cabin for those nights.
Are dogs allowed?
Not in the cabins or on the walks, because of ground nesting birds in spring and the farm animals next door.
Send us your dates
Pick a cabin and your dates, and tell us whether you would like dinner, the shuttle or a guided walk. We read every request at reception and reply within one day.
- Nothing to pay until we confirm
- One night's rate secures the cabin
- Shuttle seats held with your cabin
Getting in touch, and getting here
Reception is staffed every day; the phone and inbox are answered Monday to Saturday during office hours.
Write or call
A forest valley forty minutes by road from the nearest railway station; the last two kilometres are a gravel track
Reception and kitchen
| Reception | Every day, 08:00 to 20:00 |
| Phone and email | Monday to Saturday, 09:00 to 17:00 |
| Kitchen | Breakfast 07:30 to 10:00, dinner 18:30 to 21:00 |
The road in
The lodge is forty minutes by road from the nearest railway station, and the last two kilometres are a gravel track that any ordinary car can manage slowly. Parking is by the lodge, and the cabins are a short walk along forest paths.
Ask about the shuttle