Important – 4WD Access (August to November 2026) Due to storm damage, access to the retreat is currently suitable for 4WD vehicles only. If you are staying between August and November 2026, you will need to arrive in your own 4WD vehicle. Two-wheel drive vehicles are not able to access the property during this period.
Tōtaranui Retreat is set in North Canterbury, just 50 minutes from Kaikōura and 3.5 hours from Christchurch.
Perched high in the Seaward Kaikōura Ranges, Tōtaranui Retreat sits alone on a ridge above the valley, with the sea shimmering on the horizon. Native bush tumbles down the hillside around you, the air is clean and still, and the only sounds are wind and birdsong.
The cabin is perfectly suited for two. Floor-to-ceiling windows fill the space with light and frame an uninterrupted panorama of rugged mountains and rolling farmland. A queen bed sits beneath a skylight for stargazing from under the sheets, two cosy armchairs invite slow mornings, and a compact kitchen and bathroom provide everything you need without anything you don't. The benchtops throughout, in the kitchen, bathroom, and breakfast bar, are crafted from tōtara milled on the farm itself.
Outside is a spacious deck with a bar leaner and stools - the perfect spot to sit with a hot coffee and watch the light change across the ranges. Fire up the large BBQ, gather around the campfire as the temperature falls, then ease into the wood-fired hot tub beneath a sky free of light pollution. It doesn't get much better than this.
