SLOW STAYS

Tugging at the nostalgic childhood memory of climbing into a treehouse – how the noise of the world fell away, leaving only stillness and the soothing beat of your heart – Nest Treehouses is an invitation. To escape; to breathe in the beauty of the forest. Here, cocooned in a luxurious, minimalist cabin in the Hakataramea Valley, you’ll leave busy behind and relive the freedom of a time before constant to-do lists crowded your day. Way up above the 40-year-old grove of radiata pines, a blanket of incandescent stars spreads out as you relax in the outdoor cedar-stoked bath. Cosy up to the spark of a gas fire on the other side of floor-to-ceiling windows, nibbling on a grazing platter brimming with local produce. Luxuriate in details like a linen-covered, NZ alpaca-fibre queen bed and sustainable beauty products, and enjoy the luxe sauna with panoramic views (only a short crunch through pine-needle blanketed forest) and optional in-house massages. Close-to-home adventures abound – don gumboots for a tour of the sixth-generation, 830-acre family farm that Nest sits on; roam and ramble across allocated farm tracks or – if you’re feeling fancy – hop aboard a heli tour (bubbles included) to get even higher than the treetops. Beyond the swaying branches, the hidden gem of Waitaki Valley awaits. Try wine tastings, hiking, mountain biking, casting a line in at local lakes and, come winter, strap on the skis for some slope action too.