Te Wepu is found in Canterbury, New Zealand. An hour’s drive from Christchurch, a 20-minute drive from Akaroa or a 3-minute drive from the ‘French Farm and Wainui’ turnoff at Barry’s Bay.
Follow the signs from the Barry’s Bay turn-off, drive up to the end of Bantry Lodge Road and you’ll find Kate and Richie’s house. They will meet you, show you where to park your car, and the adventure will begin!
Here you have three options:
* To fully appreciate the Te Wepu experience we recommend you take the 20-30 minute hike, through a Rhododendron dell and a Walnut grove, alongside the Te Wepu stream, and finish with a short intrepid climb through farmland to your Pod. This does require sturdy shoes, an adequate level of fitness for a hill climb, and a sense of adventure.
Alternatively we will take the Kubota, with your bags, up to your Pod. Given enough warning you will arrive to a warm hot tub – an abundance of firewood will make it easy for you to keep it hot!
Or you can take your own 4WD to two of the three accessible Pod site, given you have a suitable vehicle and offraod experience. A short clip of the 4WD farm track can be found here.
Your hosts Kate and Richie do ask that you check in and out during daylight hours - the pods are off a farm track and there are no street lights up there!!
Check in is between 3pm (no earlier please) and 6pm but please get in touch if you are unable to make it by 6pm. Check out is 11am back down at the carpark. Te Wepu has a strict minimum two night stay in weekends.
Once you are at your Pod, you can either prepare and cook your food that you've bought yourself, on the BBQ that is provided. Or you have arrived to one of Kate's hampers (some basic cooking skills are still required but it is as simple as turning the BBQ on and flipping a steak). Kate's hamper can be ordered at the time of booking.
On the morning of check-out, your hosts will bring the 4x4 to collect you and your luggage or you can wander back down the marked track in your own time and meet your bags at the carpark.