Ruru Room

Ruru Room

Port Charles, Coromandel

High up, on a small point near the Coromandel settlement of Port Charles, is a truly special getaway with spectacular views - known as Ruru Room. 

Ruru Room is 3-hours and 45-minutes drive from Auckland City, one hour from Coromandel Town, and 40 minutes from Colville. 

The accommodation consists of two small cabins - one is for sleeping, living and cooking, and the other is the bathroom - connected to each other by decking walkways. Both are light, bright, tasteful and simple - with everything you need, and nothing you don't. 

There are incredible sea views in every direction, but from your bed, you'll enjoy the sun rising over the sea to the East as the tide gently laps the rocks on the beach below. Gannets, seabirds and rays inhabit the bay - with snapper plentiful off the point.

Walk to the grassy summit to a shaded lookout - or down to the rocky beach where you can swim directly from the steps at high tide - or explore rich and diverse rockpools until you reach the water's edge.

Large and established trees surround the cabin and cover the property - primarily pohutukawa, but also puriri, kowhai, lancewood and many, many Nikau. The air is dense with the bird song of tui, kaka, piwakawaka, riroriro and many others. As the evening descends, you’ll hear the distinctive call of the ruru (morepork).

Ruru Room is a quietly dramatic property - with spectacular and subtle aspects combined to create a uniquely secluded, and peaceful, place to be.

FROM $280 p/n

  • Sleeps 2

Make sure you download or print this handy info sheet with directions and host contact details prior to your journey. You may not have mobile reception at all times.

There are occasionally temporary road closures and diversions on the road to Port Charles due to roading maintenance and events. We suggest checking the NZTA road closures website before you leave to help you plan your trip.

Note that the final 30 minutes of your drive to Ruru Room will be on an unsealed gravel road.

Access to Ruru Room, once you arrive, is via a steep gravel driveway. Big vehicles such as vans and caravans, are not recommended. You'll need to drive carefully up the drive and parking is available at the top near the steps to the cabin. 

address
 

1578D Port Charles Road Port Charles 3584

directions
 

There are two options for getting to Ruru Room in the Coromandel...

1) Get a ferry from Auckland to Coromandel and then a shuttle to the property.

2) Drive. If you choose to drive, detailed instructions follow below.

Ruru Room is 3 hours and 45 minutes drive from Auckland City, one hour from Coromandel Town, and 40 minutes from Colville. Note that the final 30 minutes of your drive will be on an unsealed gravel road. Make sure you stop to buy provisions in Thames or Coromandel. There is a store in Colville, but the selection is limited.

  • Follow the Google Maps directions to the address. 
  • Once you arrive at the address, you'll see a steep right-of-way at a corrugated iron Kereru and microwave letterbox. Turn on to this right-of-way. You may need to open and close a gate at the top. Continue down the steep right-of-way, driving carefully near the bottom where there is a drainage hump, and past the old wrecked 4WDs… Ruru Rooms entry is the wide metal gate directly ahead of you.
  • There is a gate lock and a lockbox with keys to Ruru Room - both require codes. We'll send the codes to you 5 days prior to your stay in a pre-arrival email.

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].

important arrival and parking instructions
 
  • Once you've arrived, proceed up the driveway
  • The drive is steep, so please drive very slowly, letting your vehicle drive gently so as not to rut and disperse the gravel.
  • At the top, it is best to drive past the flat area on the right and then reverse onto the flat area, that way your boot will be near the steps to the cabin.
  • When driving out, be careful of the corner back onto the drive, better to do the turn in two sections unless you have a very tight turning circle.

Ruru Room

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?

CAN CHILDREN STAY AT Ruru Room?

Can I bring my dog?

How private and remote is Ruru Room?

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

Is there parking so I can bring my boat?

What do I need to bring?

What are the safety considerations?

Can I stay for one night only?

Minimum Nights

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

    Ruru Room has all the facilities you need to self-cater. Just bring your own food, and prepare meals in the kitchen space. There is a gas cooktop and electric oven for cooking and you'll find all the cutlery, crockery, pots and pans that you'll need. 

    Dining options are few and far between, but you'll find a cafe at the Tangiaro Kiwi Retreat which is occasionally also open for dinners. There are also a couple of cafes in Colville (40 minutes away) and a broader range of options in Coromandel Town (1 hour away).

    If you need to pop out for supplies, there is a small store at Colville, but otherwise, you'd be wise to ensure you bring everything you need!

  • Things to do

    Once you arrive at Ruru Room, you won't want to leave, and nor will you need to...

    Read, rest and recharge your soul. Hours can be spent relaxing on the cabin deck - watching the light change on the ocean. As night falls, listen to the ruru calling from the trees and even the kiwi calling from the denser bush beyond. 

    In the morning, head down the path to the sea below for an early morning swim off the rocks. Bring your rod and gear and catch a snapper for lunch! There's a fish bench available behind the bathroom cabin.

    If you feel the need to leave the property, a 10-minute walk back up the drive and north along the road brings you to Sandy Bay, a large gentle crescent of golden sand and tepid brine. Along the road to the south is Little Sandy Bay, best visited at high tide, with its rope swing out over the sea. From the right of way, and down a shared path, is the jetty - a good place for fishing and also a great place to park your yacht, or meet your charter boat. A helicopter can land here.

    For guided local bushwalks and fishing trips – either land-based fishing or using your own boat – visit Colville Guiding or treat yourself to a horse trek - Colville Horse Treks come recommended by your hosts!

  • Your Hosts

    The owners of Ruru Room are an artist and scientist who are based overseas. For them, Ruru Room represents the perfect synthesis of respite from their busy lives, while offering nourishment for their life pursuits. They say “our place is charged with a resounding and peaceful spirit. With its abundance of unique flora and fauna, this private eyrie is an idyll unlike any we’ve encountered”. The property is a part of the family and they have long-term plans for ecological regeneration.

    They have a property manager nearby who will be your point of contact during your stay at Ruru Room if needed.

Browse the Collection

Beautiful tents surrounded by nature, quirky cabins with packets of personality and secret hideaways that offer something completely unique... Explore the other places in our collection.

Find your escape