Paramata Lodge

About Us
About the Area
The Lodge
The Birds & Activities

Customer Feedback

 

About Us

Kathy Gilbert and Neil Ensor, your hosts and guides, built Paramata Lodge as an environmentally sustainable venture. Sharing a love of the outdoors, the land and its history, they are involved in conservation projects, eco tours, and living off the land as gently as they can.

Neil was born on the West Coast, worked in forestry and is a sculptor of wood, metal and found objects, exhibiting locally and in Auckland and Christchurch. His botanical knowledge and horticulture skills are invaluable and his artworks often bring delight to guests. Kathy is chairperson of the West Coast branch of the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society, New Zealand's primary conservation organisation.

About the Area

Paramata Lodge is located just 30 minutes drive south of Hokitika yet is  on 15 acres of privately owned land in the peace and quiet of protected wetlands and ancient kahikatea forest.  You are transported from the farming communities along State Hwy. 6 to a natural wilderness.  It is this very location that is special and attracts visitors from all over the world. You can see the interplay of wildlife where the most northern virgin Kahikatea forest remains by the Tasman Sea coast and meets a 600 hectare rare lowland wetland. Parts of these fascinating ecosystems can be explored by canoe or walking.

The Lodge

Designed as a luxury lodge, with the advantages of bed and breakfast style, Paramata is more like a boutique private hotel. Three guest bedrooms with large ensuites offer luxurious peace and comfort. Two are upstairs and one downstairs, individually appointed and with magnificent views.

Choose from three lounges and two decks to relax. Select music in the main lounge or delve into the upstairs library for books on New Zealand botany and history, art, mountaineering and literature. Recycled timbers and metal have been intricately worked into the decor of the lodge by Neil, with fascinating stories of origin.

 

The Birds and Activities

Itineraries for the Paramata guided wilderness tours include walking into ancient forest and along an isolated coastline or canoeing on a coastal creek or forest lake. Gentle adventure walking along trails, birding or more active options are available.

With a Department of Conservation concession, access to seldom travelled and protected conservation areas in Westland is possible. Your guide can highlight connections between history and ecology, birdlife and flora, unique plant properties and culture.

Birds can be viewed right from the Lodge without having to even step too far afield - weka have been seen nesting and raising their young.  Tui's, bellbirds, wood pigeon are some of the forest birds you may see and there is plenty of wetland and foreshore bird activity as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Customer Feedback

"Thank you for your wonderful hospitality, and letting us share your beautiful home, animals, artworks, superb cuisine, countryside - & so much more! We'll be back!"
Rob & Sue, Sydney, Australia. March 2010

"An oasis of natural beauty shared with engaged, energising and passionate hosts. Thank you for such a warm welcome, we leave chilled and inspired."
Jane & Jeremy, England, UK. Jan 2010