Highfield Forest Retreat

Highfield Forest Retreat

Kauri Coast, Northland

Highfield Forest Retreat is set on the lush Kauri Coast, 25 minutes from the Northland town of Dargaville and 2.5 hours from Auckland.

The campsite is set in a dappled glade, in a mature native forest on the edge of Highfield Farm. A large, luxury tent is accompanied by a delightful old kauri hut - providing a charming kitchen, dining and lounging area. A boardwalk through the tall native bush connects the two. A short walk away from the site sits a private outdoor bath in a rocky grotto, nestled amongst the bush and fern-covered ground.

Highfield Forest Retreat, along with its sister site, Highfield River Retreat, offers truly unique and romantic couples accommodation. 

Surrounded by nature, you can lie back in the outdoor bath and see native birds like tomtits, tui, grey warbler and native pigeon dart about the campsite in the early evening. A pretty stream meanders through the bush nearby. At night you'll hear the sound of water trickling over the rocks and the morepork calling from the treetops and if you're really lucky, the kiwi calling from the bush. 

FROM $240 p/n

  • Sleeps 2

A $90 Single Night Surcharge applies on top of the nightly rate when booking a single night. You will need to add this charge during the booking process. The calendar below will specify where one-night bookings are allowed.

Address
 

Baker Road, Kaihu, Dargaville 0379

Directions
 

Highfield Forest Retreat is a comfortable 3-hour drive from central Auckland. Follow the Google Map directions to Baker Road and continue on this road until you reach a gate which requires a combination to open. This combination will be supplied to you in your pre-arrival email that we send 5 days prior to your stay. The campsite is approximately 1 km drive into the property once you enter through the gate.

Note: If you have booked within 5 days and haven't received a pre-arrival email shortly after booking, please email us at [email protected].

Highfield Forest Retreat

What time is check in and check out?

WHAT ARE THE BED AND BEDDING ARRANGEMENTS?

WHAT ARE THE KITCHEN AND COOKING FACILITIES?

WHAT ARE THE BATHROOM FACILITIES?

IS THERE POWER?

IS THERE MOBILE PHONE RECEPTION?

WHAT SORT OF HEATING IS THERE?

CAN I HAVE An outdoor fire?

What is glamping like in winter?

Can children stay at Highfield Forest Retreat?

CAN I BRING MY DOG OR HORSE?

HOW PRIVATE AND REMOTE IS Highfield Forest Retreat?

What is the access like and where do I park my car?

Will I come across creatures and critters during my stay?

WHAT DO I NEED TO BRING?

ARE THERE ANY SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS?

CAN I BOOK FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY?

MINIMUM STAY PERIODS

RATES

GIFT VOUCHERS

2. booking and payments

3. Guest cancellations and date changes

4. Host Cancellations

5. safety and hazards

6. pets

7. GST

8. conditions of occupancy and conduct

9. Complaints

10. Liability

11. Gift vouchers

12. Law

13. Changes to booking conditions

14. Authority to sign

  • Eating and Drinking

    Highfield Forest Retreat is self-catering. Just bring your own food and chilly-bin and cook your meals using the facilities provided in your private camp kitchen, the Kauri Hut. You'll find all the cutlery, crockery, pots and pans that you'll need. 

    The nearest shop selling necessities is Kaihu Motors - an 8-minute drive away. There is a Countdown Supermarket in Dargaville, a 25-minute drive away. 

    Kaihu Tavern, just 5 minutes away is a great place to have a meal if you want a night off cooking!

  • Things to Do

    Unplug from technology and immerse yourself in the beauty and tranquility of New Zealand native forest. 

    Reconnect over a board game, explore the nearby rocky stream, wander the bush track - or simply lie back in the steaming hot outdoor bath, and gaze through the canopy of trees to the sparkling night sky above.

    There's plenty to do off the property as well. Visit Trounson Kauri Park to take in the magnificent kauri trees, or visit the Kai Iwi lakes. Check out Nelson's Kauri Shop and Mill at Kaihu, just down the road. Explore the nearby beaches! There's miles of white sandy shores to walk along.

    At the end of the day, stop off on your way home for a drink and delicious meal at the Kaihu Tavern.

  • Your Hosts

    Tracy and Simon Hayward are the owners and farmers of Highfield Farm. They'll be your hosts during your stay.

    Tracy, Simon and their 5 children bought Highfield Farm in 2004. It's a dairy farm, milking 160 cows, and covering 90 hectares of farmland. A further 70 bush-covered hectares of the property were put into QEII protection by Tracy and Simon, along with a section of land on either side of the main river that runs through the property. Highfield Forest Retreat is nestled in a part of the QEII protected part of the farm.

    With the combined effort of Hancocks Forestry, Northern Regional Council and DOC, Tracy and Simon have been trapping pests on their QEII block and up the valley. Through 'kiwi listening' they have established that they now have a moderate population of kiwi - which they look forward to seeing grow annually.

    The Haywards felt that there was no better way to share what they've achieved on their farm, than by inviting people to stay on it. In March 2015 they purchased a 100+ year old kauri hut and started developing their first 'forest retreat' glamping site to open in December that same year. In 2016, they opened their second 'river retreat' glamping site.

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