Leigh Caughey, who raised her family for 22 years in Lake Okareka before moving to Auckland, has returned to open up Ngamihi Lodge, which aims to fill a gap in the market between budget B&Bs and luxury lodges.
She found the ideal property in a six-bedroom house that had been owned by Barbara and Richard Charters for 46 years.
An interior designer, she spent eight months completely renovating the property into lodge-style accommodation, with three en-suite bedrooms, and opened for business this month.
"I did a feasibility study on what accommodation niche market I could enter," she said. "It seemed to me there was a big gap between the budget B&B and the expensive lodges - there was nothing in between those."
Ms Caughey, who lives in and hosts the lodge, said she aimed to offer luxury-style accommodation, but at a lower price.