Conversation around the dinner table is lively as the irrepressible botanist, Professor David Bellamy, is a guest.
He's in Rotorua for "Whirinaki 25", a celebration of the quarter-century that has passed since conservationists won the right to protect the Whirinaki Forest Park from the wrath of chainsaws.
In a deep resonant voice, the full-bearded "Botanic Man" tells us that the salvation of this Dinosaur Forest was one of the greatest triumphs in his long ecological odyssey.
The world's best-known tree-hugger and eco-optimist (he believes global warming is "poppycock") has been a regular visitor to New Zealand, satisfying a deep fascination that began as a boy.
He tells us, "My uncle was a secretary in the New Zealand Embassy in London. One day he gave me a postage stamp depicting Tane Mahuta, New Zealand's largest kauri tree. At that tender age I had set my heart on being a ballet dancer but my curiosity about that tree and the country's original lack of predators with teeth and hooves, inspired me to become a botanist. When I started filming for television, the first place in the world I travelled to was Waipoua Forest."
During Professor Bellamy's stay, Treetops manager Heiko Kaiser explains the lodge's eco-friendly philosophy while standing on "Palm Beach".
This is a man-made trout-fishing lake where the professor beds in a rimu sapling, one of 70,000 new plantings on the property.
Passion and intense motivation are what enabled Treetops owner, John Sax, to create this superlative boutique wilderness lodge and 1000ha game reserve, nestled under the Horohoro Bluffs of the Mamaku Plateau, 20 minutes' drive from Rotorua.
When Sax was a young boy he had a dream not unlike that of Bellamy. Whereas the botanist longed to see an iconic tree on the other side of the world, the emerging Kiwi entrepreneur dreamt he would one day fish in his own trout stream and plant native trees. His father regularly took him fishing and hunting on the family farm. Thirty years on, the boyhood dream has become a reality.
Everything about Treetops reflects the character of its bold creator. I relax in the Great Room and quietly appreciate the impressive decor. It is so absorbing that the rest of the world soon ceases to exist. The timber beams, table tops and ornate carvings have all been felled and milled on site. The magnificent fossil stone floor is heated. The colossal schist rock fireplace is 9m long.
Possum fur covers are draped over the lounge furniture, upholstered in deer hide from the game park. The overall effect is a cross between baronial manor and hunting lodge, hand-crafted out of its own rugged natural environment. I linger awhile on the moat bridge that leads to the grand entrance. Rainbow trout slip along the natural stream that flows in a channel under the main building and out into an ornamental pond, to disappear into a deep gully of dark green native bush. It is a building that is heavily into character but treads lightly on the land.
Wandering along a section of the 70km trail network, which embraces seven streams and four lakes, I allow the sights, sounds and scents of New Zealand's native forest to flow over me. Within an hour or so I pass scenic lookouts, waterfalls and giant podocarp trees that were spindly saplings half a millennium ago. It's 100 per cent pure New Zealand but feels like Jurassic Park - just a lot safer.
I pause under a tall rimu tree and lean back to look into the upper canopy. The sky is obscured by dense layers of foliage and clusters of epiphytes nestled in the branches. Only a few slanting rays of dappled sunlight reach down to the forest floor. It's a joyous feeling to stop still for a time and listen to the silence and solitude of the forest - a tapestry of green fern fronds, dancing sunbeams and whispering spring-fed streams.
In the forest, as in the lodge, I'm far removed from everyday life. Staying here is a true Kiwi nature experience. I have the distinct feeling I'm sharing the owner's dream just by being here. I have left only soft footprints on the environment and will take away an understanding of the Sax philosophy, without even having met the man.
John Sax believes that everyone has the capacity to dream and to visualise a better future. I can't think of a better place to start a new personal vision for the future than Treetops Lodge - the place is truly inspirational.
It's a mountain hideaway with something to sing about. The crisp mountain air rejuvenates, the musical chef hits the high note and the trill of native songbirds is as pure and refined as a silver tray service.
If you go
Contact: Treetops Estate and Lodge, 351 Kearoa Rd, RD1, Horohoro. Ph (07) 333 2066, email info@treetopsco.nz.
Getting there: Driving south from Rotorua on SH5, turn right at the first main intersection on to SH30. Continue 10km and turn into Apirana Rd, which forks after 1km. Take Kearoa Rd and follow the signs.
Activities: Treetops offers a host of sightseeing options including heli-flights to White Island, Mt Tarawera and the Rotorua lakes. Guests can also enjoy horse riding, archery, clay-bird shooting, fishing and hunting on the property.
Paul Rush was hosted by Treetops Lodge and Estate.
