Miscellaneous Tips, New Zealand

We stayed at Woodside Cottage for two nights of a three week trip around New Zealand. It was one of, if not the, favorite stay during our trip. The accomodations are a private cottage with kitchen, living room, bedroom and shower/laundry room. On our arrival, we found breakfast makings in the fridge and muffins in a basket. That's good because there's only the smallest of towns nearby with a grocery store that closed earlier than our after-dark arrival and just one bar with a pub menu to select from (though, I should point out, that this is crayfish (lobster) territory so pub grub includes lobster when in-season). The welcoming material displayed in the Cottage did mention that someplace called "The Store" was nearby but we weren't too impressed that there was a store nearby. Little did we know (but thankfully found out soon enough) that "The Store" is top-flight restaurant on a beach in the middle-of-no-where cross-roads of Kekerengu. There's nothing for 30 miles to the north or south but, wow, what a place. I highly recommend stopping there and, given time and inclination, doing a bit of research on Kekerengu; it's a fascinating portal to the Kaikoura mountain range and the hardy folks who make their lives there.

There's not a lot to do in the area other than relax and walk the nearby beach. If you go to the trouble of crossing the sheep pasture to get the beach, you'll find yourself alone with mountains at your back with the Pacific Ocean at your feet and a colony of sea lions nearby. If you really must be up to something, heading north to the Marlborough region puts you in wine country; to the south lies the dolphin and whale watching mecca of Kaikoura.

New Zealand is a long ways from home for us. Should we get back there, we'll definitely be looking for a chance to return to Woodside Cottage.

The location of Woodside Cottage is it's most unique quality. Just off the highway, it's easy to get to and the nearby ocean is a refuge for romantics.

A close second quality are the owners. We were visited by Nick Clouston sometime the first night or early the next day and she stayed but a few minutes. When we did leave, it was a melancoly transition that began with a stop by the Clouston's home to settle accounts. That stop dissipated the melancoly by a much longer than anticipated visit with Nick and Jock Clouston. They are delightful people who's company we very much enjoyed and, an hour later, we left feeling sorry that we'd not spent more time visiting.

New Zealand Hotels