Wharekauhau Country Estate

This is a beautiful hotel with a beautiful swimming pool but both need a little refurbishing. The property is beautiful and the rooms are comfortable. My biggest disappointment was the food which was almost inedible. Poorly displayed and terrible to taste.

This was a huge treat to have a night at exclusive Wharekauhau. This place is phenomenal - stunning location and facilities. The suites are beautiful and super comfy and you also have the main house with it's many rooms to explore and relax in and a recreation centre. Didn't do the spa or any of the extra activities - they are pricey but there was certainly enough to keep us entertained. The people are very warm, welcoming and engaging. What we loved.... 1) being greeted on arrival, car parked and our bags transferred to our suite while we sipped bubbles and had a tour of the main house and facilities, 2) Pre-dinner canapes and set course dinner, 3) recreation room, cigar room and games room, 4) location - views, and opportunity to walk through the paddocks, 5) privacy - was almost full but didn't bump into many people at all and 6) the food - top notch. What has stopped me giving it 5 stars.... upon arrival at the suite the Sky TV wasn't working. We spent far too much time trying to sort it.... didn't work so went to ring reception but the phone wasn't working either! Gas fire seemed to be faulty but got it working. The TV and phone was attended to with an apology, but as we had spent lots of time on this it would have been nice to have been given a free drink or similar. Things like that should be checked before guests check in.

Staff were amazing. Food was out of this world and the venue and surrounding property is phenomenal. If you are a couple looking for some where special to go, I can't recommend this place highly enough

Suites are amazing - with a real sense of being your own quite large slice of paradise. Staff are wonderful - and couldn't be more helpful. The overall feel of Wharekaukau is relaxed county lodge - with wonderful staff who do make you feel truly "at home". We are lucky enough to have stayed numerous times - and each time reminds us how special the place is and how well looked after we are. Stunning setting where we have experienced both amazing sunny/windless days to stormy days/nights - it is a truly special place in any weather.

My friend's and I had an amazing time here and felt like we got treated like Royalty. From the amazing Four Wheel Drive tour, through to the Drinks (I highly recommend the Espresso Martini's) through to the amazing service and food, everything was perfect. Thank you so much to the Lodge for making our visit so amazing. Can't wait to go back.

20/10 *** Hands down the best experience we've ever had while travelling. From landing on the front lawn we were greeting by the staff and the General Manager in the most outstanding way. The hospitality of this place is second to none. The staff went out of their way to make sure everything was catered for! If only we had more time in NZ we would return. Will be recommending this to all of our friends and family. If you haven't visited this magical location yet! YOU MUST

For my first trip to New Zealand, I was fortunate enough to stay at Wharekauhau Country Estate. I was looking forward to traveling to what looked to be pure paradise by the website photos. When landing on the lawn and being personally welcomed by the General Manager, all expectations were quickly surpassed. The lodge and surrounding estate are truly spectacular. There are more than enough activities on and around the property to give you a true kiwi experience. Nightly cocktail hour and dinners at the lodge were decadent, unique and nothing short of spectacular. The staff genuinely cares about their guests. If you're lucky enough, you might even get a cuddle from the lodge labrador, Merlot, during your stay. I would recommend Wharekauhau to anyone looking for pure luxury among the relaxed beauty of New Zealand. I will definitely be returning.

So my wife and I did a trip in October and November of 2022 to Australia and New Zealand. It was awesome. Out travel agent booked us at the best lodges including the One and Only in the Wolgan Valley near Sydney, Qualia Resort near the Great Barrier Reef, Azur lodge in Queenstown and Huka Lodge Taupo. Everyone one of these was a unique and special experience and I would rate each one as Excellent. HOWEVER, one of the lodges was Wharekauhau Country Estate. This should have been another outstanding experience, but the US "Laird", who had not been to the lodge in over a year was there with the board of his company, Fidelity National Financial. Clearly they should not have booked anyone, or any common folk like me, who is not a Billionaire or board member. From the beginning we were an after thought. Dining in the main hall, nope Bill and and the board were there. Ability to do any of the activities on the menu, not really as Bill and the board were partaking of all of these. Asking us what we wanted to do the next day when we checked in, nope, since they knew there was nothing they could accommodate, why ask. Well that did not stop me and my wife and I were lucky enough that one of the staff folks could take us to a near by village to wander around while he went home and had lunch with his wife. Cost to take my wife 25 miles to the town, $500. Dinner that night was again not near the Laird and Board, but in a different private area. To add final insult to injury when paying $1250/nite, I was charge a credit card fee when I used my visa. I guess that's how the rich get richer. My whole experience, wha incredibly poor. I shared all of this real time with my Virtuoso travel agent and she tried, but at that point I did not see the property manager again. Either he was too embarrassed to share the truth or our bad timing or was too busy serving the Laird. In either case stay away. While a nice property and great location, unless you are an equal of the "Gods" or want to get nickeled and dimed, there are many more outstanding resorts and places to see. Unfortunately after all the great places and hospitality and experiences, this place was a major dud!

Wharekauhau is a very special lodge. It doesn’t seem to be on the “Americans going to NZ luxury lodges” circuit as much as some other properties at which we stayed, at least it didn’t appear that way the few days we were there, but it should. The property is in a truly spectacular setting. The food is top notch. Our room was large and well-appointed and had a stunning view. And the staff was friendly and attentive to our needs. (Special thanks to Audrey, Adrian, Nicholas, Jacki, and Yvette for making our three-night stay a memorable one.) One day we drove into Wellington and sent to the main museum and took a cable car to the top of the hill and walked around the botanical gardens a bit, and one day we drove to the lighthouse and seal colony and then followed up with lunch and wine tasting in Martinborough. We also took some walks around the property including a walk along the bluff overlooking the ocean, and made sure to enjoy some quiet time reading in the lodge. Highly recommended.