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Dune Lakes Lodge - Retreat & Horses

Hosted by Rosemary · South Head

20 guests max

First Hipcamper Club

Earn this patch by being the first to spend a night outside at a new Hipcamp.

Dune Lakes Retreat & Horse Inspired Learning Centre is nestled on the wild South Kaipara Head Peninsula, just 60 minutes from Auckland CBD, yet it feels far removed from everyday life. Set among ancient sand hills, pristine wetlands, native bush, and the calm waters of Lake Kereta — a rare freshwater dune lake — this is a landscape shaped by deep time, quiet balance and wonderful for safe swimming. The South Kaipara Head is an ancient sand barrier separating the vast Kaipara Harbour from the Tasman Sea. Between the dunes, groundwater has gathered over thousands of years to form freshwater lakes and wetlands that filter water, support rich biodiversity, and create a profound sense of calm. Guests may choose from a range of camping sites — some nestled near the wetlands, others more open with wide skies and lake views. Facilities include excellent water quality, toilets, and showers. Accommodation includes the Flying Horse Barn with three studio rooms at $150 per night per room, and a cabin available for $100 per night (bring your own linen/towels etc or $25 extra per stay for supplied linen for all accommodation) To the west lies the dramatic Muriwai / Rangatira coastline with sweeping Tasman Sea sunsets. To the east is the sheltered Kaipara Harbour, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and a vital feeding ground for marine life and migratory birds such as godwits, knots, plovers, and terns. A quiet lagoon to the north shelters swans, ducks, pūkeko, paradise shelduck, kingfisher, fantail, warbler, and silvereye. At dawn, birdsong fills the air. At dusk, frogs rise in chorus, and from deep within the reedbeds the rare Australasian bittern calls — a nationally threatened bird whose presence signals an intact wetland. The retreat is also home to a free-roaming herd of horses at the Horse Inspired Learning Centre. The horses are free-roaming, barefoot, unridden, and without covers. Mindful, non-riding interactions grounded in Natural Horse Friendship and Equine-Assisted Learning sessions are available by arrangement at $250 per morning session) A place to rest, reflect, and reconnect — where land, water, wildlife, horses, and quiet beauty meet.Pitch your tent, park your camper or enjoy our bunk or studio accommodation. Enjoy the calm, peaceful, therapeutic ambience of our free-roaming horses, friendly dogs, wild peacocks and the occasional deer. The Victorian villa is adjacent to the beautiful Lake Kereta, adjoining Woodhill Forest which stands on ancient sand hills covering an area of 12,500 hectares planted predominately with radiata pine. There are plenty of picnic areas, lookouts, trails, walks, lakes, and orienteering. A wide track around the lake enables visitors to traverse the changing patterns of wetland vegetation in the dune lake system, the vista broken here and there by the bordering manuka and kanuka trees.

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Dune Lakes

Vacation rental · Sleeps 20

Pitch your tent, park your camper or enjoy our bunk or studio accommodation. Enjoy the calm, peaceful, therapeutic ambience of our free-roaming horses, friendly dogs, wild peacocks and the occasional deer. The Victorian villa is adjacent to the beautiful Lake Kereta, adjoining Woodhill Forest which stands on ancient sand hills covering an area of 12,500 hectares planted predominately with radiata pine. There are plenty of picnic areas, lookouts, trails, walks, lakes, and orienteering. A wide track around the lake enables visitors to traverse the changing patterns of wetland vegetation in the dune lake system, the vista broken here and there by the bordering manuka and kanuka trees.

No campfires

Toilet

Potable water

Pets allowed

Showers

Picnic table

from

NZ$50

/ night

for 10 guests

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Location

South Head, New ZealandTo respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking

Hosted by Rosemary W.

Joined in September 2023

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New Zealand
South Head

Hipcamp acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past, present and future and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.