Te Karaka Lodge review: Rural Waikaretu retreat offers food, spa and farm tours

Te Karaka Lodge offers a luxury escape just two hours from Auckland. Photo / Supplied

Want to escape the city rush but without the hassle of a big trip? This dreamy lodge may be the ticket, writes Alexia Santamaria.

Driving towards Te Karaka Lodge in Waikaretu, you’d be forgiven for thinking “where exactly in the back of beyond am I going?” As you cross the bridge at Mercer and 110km/h expressway turns to single-lane country roads flanked by rolling pastures straight out of a movie, it’s hard not to decompress as you meander past cows grazing, a conference of seemingly very opinionated pheasants, the babbling Araroa stream, a tiny school, bursts of bright yellow gorse flowers, green paddocks and sleepy townships. The road winds on, passing cars becoming rarer, and just before you arrive, the landscape shifts to classic Port Waikato limestone strata, emerald bush and nikau palms before you pop out on the gravel road that leads to Te Karaka Station. What an amazing drive.

Arriving at golden hour with evening light bathing the hills, I’m greeted (okay, not greeted, but they’re in the surrounding paddocks when I drive in) by bouncing lambs scrambling after their mums. This is my rural dream. Te Karaka Lodge itself is actually pretty understated from the outside, the inky-black buildings a study in minimalist restraint rather than excessive show. No grand facades, just clean, contemporary architecture that makes it even more of a surprise when you open the door into a lush space with soaring, white high-ceilings, large sofas layered texturally with cushions and throws, inviting fireplaces, elegant coffee tables, statement lighting and floor-to-ceiling windows looking out on endless rolling hills.

Te Karaka Lodge offers a luxury escape just two hours from Auckland. Photo / Supplied

Super friendly Aaron Gereats, who manages the lodge with his wife Danielle, gives me the tour. He points out the heated swimming spa, pétanque piste, board games and dreamy lounge (guests have been known to fall asleep on those couches), but also the features not listed on websites and brochures – that there are no TVs in bedrooms, that spirits in the bar are sourced from small New Zealand producers, that there are books to curl up with and long walks to take. This is a place where complete relaxation is the only goal. Unlike many lodges, there are not a million things to do nearby, it’s about doing less and giving your brain a break from busyness and technology and deadlines.

My room is calm and inviting with a huge bathroom. I love the look of the plush king bed dressed in crisp white linens and a warm wool throw. It’s all neutral tones, lifted subtly with pops of gold and blue for personality. Above the bed hangs striking local artwork, while outside, a hanging egg chair catches my eye as a potential morning coffee spot. Bags dropped, I head out for drinks and canapes in the dining room, where an enormous white marble island is the striking centrepiece. A gin from Awildian – up the road in Coromandel – is just the ticket with delicious bites from lodge chef Stuart.

Just two hours from Auckland, Te Karaka Lodge is a countryside escape designed for slowing down. Photo / Supplied

Once seated, Stuart turns out a fabulous four-courser, my highlight being the fanciest whitebait fritters I’ve had in a long time, loosely held together by an eggy batter and perfectly pimped with whitebait caviar and with salad fresh from the garden. The fireplace roars, the Hawke’s Bay red matches our bougie Beef Wellington perfectly, and my Auckland life feels very far away. Stuart agrees, he’s worked all over the world, including for the famous Roux Brothers in London, and has swapped a hectic catering job in Tāmaki Makaurau for a place with views like this and the freedom to cook exactly what he pleases every day. He’s feeling quite smug about his life choices.

Post-dinner, it’s tempting to become one with those wonderful comfortable couches, but that giant bed calls. Sleep comes easily after a soak in the bath with locally made salts, one of many thoughtful details here, like Waikato’s legendary Zealong tea in the kitchen, honey from the farm’s hives, and jars of snacky treats made by the chef in-house.

Just two hours from Auckland, Te Karaka Lodge is a countryside escape designed for slowing down. Photo / Supplied

In the morning, I’ve booked an ATV farm tour with James, the station manager. The working dogs bound onto the back as we roll out to explore this incredible 600ha beef and lamb farm. Scenic ridgelines, native bush and open paddocks stretch ahead, dotted with more adorable lambs than my heart can actually take – at peak, the farm runs up to 8000 sheep. We pause to let a polite herd of cows pass, “shepherded” by the diligent canine crew, before reaching a glistening waterway that sparkles in the morning sun. At the farm’s highest point, I briefly consider refusing to get back on board; I can picture myself here for hours with a blanket and flask of coffee, soaking up the rare joy of feeling like the only person on earth. No wonder they offer romantic picnics as an option (as well as spa treatments, yoga, meditation, walking tracks and even harakeke weaving).

Te Karaka Lodge sits on a 600-hectare working beef and sheep farm. Photo / Supplied

The environment is considered here, wherever possible. Over the past eight years, the team have planted 100ha of mānuka and native trees, double-fenced waterways and worked on predator control initiatives. James, a fourth-generation farmer, knows the importance of protecting the land that gives so much. The rest of my weekend drifts by in a blissful rhythm of reading, soaking in the spa, napping, and revelling in being laptop-free. At night, the stars shine above a countryside so dark and still that it feels like the world has actually stopped. Silence reigns, and for a moment, I imagine trading city life for this. It may be the burnt-out Aucklander cliché migration, but maybe now I understand how it happens.

Leaving reluctantly the next day, I feel like I’ve been gifted time – real, unhurried time – and remember what it feels like to truly stop. I’m not sure what it says about us as a society, but this is something so many of us need, whether it’s camping at the beach in summer or at a beautiful property like this. If you’re looking for a true escape without travelling for days (it’s only two hours from Auckland), Te Karaka might be one of the best secret getaways you never knew your soul needed.

tekarakalodge.co.nz

The journalist stayed courtesy of Hamilton Waikato Tourism.