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The Pear Orchard
Our farmlet sits slightly elevated within an idyllic rural setting in Hope, just outside Richmond, overlooking the Waimea Plains with its orchards, wineries and incredible produce. It includes paddocks where we graze some sheep and cows, the home orchard, with a small variety of fruit trees and home to our free range chickens, a gully and wetland area with native bush and bird life, a big pond, loved by our ducks and geese and of course the pear orchard.
A cluster of buildings forms the heart of the farmlet: the old farm house, various barns, outbuildings, the lodge and Shearer's Cottage, which together accommodate up to 20 guests. The lodge has seven bedrooms, three of which have ensuite bathrooms and balconies.
With its large sunny verandah, garden area and associated 'hay barn', the lodge is also a great place for small events, corporate retreats and family get-togethers.
The Lodge design
While purposely rough and rustic on the outside, the lodge building follows clean lines and is designed to a high spec inside. The design is inspired by the local vernacular and refined to blend in with other outbuildings around the farm. The building's proportions and exterior interpret the typical old barns seen in the Tasman area with their ramshackle patchwork of old corrugated iron, hand-made carpentry detailing and overhanging roof lines.
We minimised the building's environmental footprint as much as practically possible: through recycling building materials, milling our own timber, double-glazing and insulation, use of solar energy and efficient appliances, rain water harvesting and utilising our treated effluent for irrigation.
We minimise and mitigate our carbon emissions and are aiming to become certified carboNZero in the near future.
About us
In 2013 we gave up our professional jobs in Auckland and moved to The Pear Orchard. Over the last few years we renovated the old farm house, repaired the outbuildings and designed and built The Pear Orchard Lodge and the Shearer's Cottage. There was never a dull moment... ;)
We have lived abroad and travelled extensively - and loved it! By creating The Pear Orchard Lodge we can now share "the good life" with domestic guests and travellers from around the world. The lodge with shared kitchen and dining facilities is for people like us, who enjoy meeting other travellers and who like accommodation with character, all the comforts of home and with the ability to prepare their own meals.
We love the genuine country life and take great pleasure from sharing it with our guests We invite you to visit our little slice of paradise and hope to meet you soon.
