We’re avid travellers, drawn mostly to North America for snowy adventures. Our journey began with a surprise honeymoon in Borneo, exploring the Sarawak rainforests and immersing ourselves in communal living in Bario’s remote villages. The authentic experiences left lasting memories. As parents traveling with young children in North America, our evenings were spent watching treehouse shows on TV. A 2019 trip to Montana led us to visit owners of two treehouses, sparking inspiration for a unique project back in NZ.
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After looking at this landscape on our horizon for 20 years the opportunity came up and we seized it. We had found a place for our Te Aka Treehouse - Native Forest Retreat. The word ‘Te Aka’ means vine that climbs up the tree trunks. We love what this represents - the intertwining of the plants with people, including ourselves, as guardians of this land with our family.
In the summer of 2019, we initiated a control program and have consistently employed a safe and effective system each season. The condition of our forest has seen significant improvement since the commencement of our wasp control efforts. We’ve set up a ground trapline targeting stoats, weasels, and rats, using humane DOC 200 and 150 traps to ensure ethical predator dispatch.
To start with we searched the property for the best location, there were so many possible sites, but in the end we chose three potential sites close to road access. We had a great team to help with the design and engineering and we built our treehouse and a bunkhouse for kids to sleep in. A great deal of care was taken to minimise the impact of the build on the forest and the smallest machines were used to dig the footings for the poles. Everything was carried in piece by piece and by hand. We sourced all the timber which was processed within 10km from our property.
Family values are at the heart of everything we do. We wanted our children to be fully immersed in our new home and work towards creating a future for our family in perpetuity. This remarkable property is a gift, it tells a story of bygone eras. Resilient and endowed with a sacred yet enduring natural beauty, it has found new custodians in Dave and Lisa, the caretakers of ‘Te Aka Native Forest Retreat’. Embracing the principles of Kaitiakitanga (guardianship and conservation), they are committed to nurturing the land, transforming it into an intergenerational home with a fresh, unfolding story.
We invited the Gordon family over to give Tracey from Decipher Design a look at our property before she designed the branding and website for the new accommodation. ‘Our kids loved it, especially the caves and playing in the forest, plus we both recharged been surrounded by nature’ - Tracey Gordon
Dave comes from a skateboarding background and in 1998 carved out a business making the first New Zealand made skateboards, Nelson Creek Skateboards. He went on to design and build over 20 Skateparks over this period and completed his last park while also building
Te aka Treehouse. This has been Daves passion project, he has used his building knowledge and carpentry skills to create a treehouse that sits seamlessly in the forest.
Dave finished up the wood flooring, then Lisa shopped
to get the bits and pieces to add the final touches to the decor.ur dear friend Rebecca from Tell Tale crafted the finest words on the Website. A massive shout out to our talented and generous photographers, Martin Bennet, Dean Trolle and Kassandra Lynne.
Making sure finding Te Aka Treehouse Native Forest Retreat is easy and stress free. This was a momentous day for myself and Dave. It cemented our resolve, we worked so hard to bring our vision to life. We now can invite you to experience a truely unique experience in the place we have loved for over 25 years. A special dear old local said to me when I first came to live here, "Nelson Creek is a mighty great place to live."
It was not always easy to get up our hill, It was clear the investment into making our road fit for all vehicles was paramount.
The support of this team has been amazing, getting Te Aka Treehouse out to the world has been a journey. Their advice and mentoring has been so valued. Tourism West Coast is working hard to showcase and promote the
West Coast Wild Untamed Natural Wilderness.
This is an exciting new development. Over winter Dave has been working on improving our guest experience.
The sauna will be ready for the summer. We have known that this tranquil spot in Golden Gully is a place to relax and just be in nature. Indulge in the pleasure of looking after yourself. This is a must do on day 2 of your stay.
The Bone Marrow Cancer Trust, Ranui House is this years recipient.
Our daughter joined Ranui ambassador Josh Komen in the Ran for Ranui Christchurch Marathon. Ranui provides accomodation for families close to Christchurch Hospital. Our daughter was born 11 weeks premature, we are so grateful for the accomodation and support.
Directly below the treehouse is Golden Gully. This summer you will be able to access the gully via the walking track through the native forest. It has been designed to lead you through the historical gold mining workings from the late 1860's. You will discover many fascinating natural and manmade wonders along the trail.
Introducing Paula from "Paula's Whole Plate"
We have paired up with chef Paula to deliver wholesome meal kits. You can order these before you stay, they have been design with the quality fresh ingredients in mind, pick fresh from our home vegetable gardens and match with your choice of locally sourced protein. you can elevate your luxury stay with Paula also available to be your in house chef if you wish to sit back and have delicious meals made from whole ingredients. Paula can cater for all dietary needs and has a culinary talent. She was Masterchef New Zealand runner up, with just one point between her and the winner of New Zealand Master Chef 2013.
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