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Welcome to Sherwood Lodge - the ideal setting for rest and relaxation.
At the Lodge
Retreat into a place of beauty, peace & quiet....
Relax in a hammock, swim in the pool, curl up in front of an open fire with a good book and a glass of wine, take a gentle walk along the river, play a quiet game of petanque, be a bit more active with a game of tennis, or simply lie back and enjoy a soak in a spa.
Swimming Pool
A dip in the outdoor swimming pool offers relief from the sometimes sweltering summer temperatures, and is just the place to work up an appetite if you've enjoyed lounging around the lodge during the day. Pool towels are provided free of charge, and drinks can be delivered to your sun chair.
Spa Pool
A hot tub is sunken into one of the house's decks. Covered from the elements and with views of the mature rhododendrons and the stars, this is free for the use of all guests.
Tennis
The concrete tennis court is available for those guests wanting more energetic exercise. Racquets and balls are available at no extra cost.
Petanque
A set of boules is available for guests to enjoy a quiet game of petanque if they wish. The gravel area in front of the house is an ideal spot for this deceptively competitive game.
Bird Watching
Native birds frequent the garden throughout the year - one of the true pleasures in life is to sit on the front veranda and listen to the bellbirds' unique liquid song in the trees beside you, while fantails flit around. On dusk, and into the early night time, you sometimes hear the solitary cry of the Morepork, a small native owl, that resides in the trees behind the house.
For most of the year, three or four pairs of the protected native wood pigeon ("Kereru" in Maori) base themselves here, enjoying eating the fruits and leaves of many of the trees surrounding the buildings. We keep one particularly ugly tree at the back of the house, purely for the benefit of the wood pigeons, as they love to devour the leaves in the spring and summer, and regularly come in for a feed in the early evening. It's quite an experience to have a Kereru swooping past, the sound of their wings beating loudly.
Craig is a qualified Park Ranger and is happy to take guests on complimentary walks to talk about the local ecology, geology, flora and fauna.
Horse Trekking
There's some fantastic horse riding to be had in this area, and some wonderfully responsive horses to take you into the high country. There are a number of options to be had with horse trekking, one of which is to be guided directly from the lodge. Click here to read more about horse trekking at Sherwood Lodge.
Fossil Hunting
You can spend hours in the Lottery River hunting for fossils, exploring the Sherwood cottages on the river bank, skinny dipping in mountain fed pools or just enjoying the beauty of the sub-alpine environment.
Explore the Gardens
Sherwood is blessed with the results of nearly 100 years of gardens. The garden beds around the house are mainly roses, annuals and perennials. A rhododendron grove borders one side of the house, and the sloping grounds in front of the building are primarily mature exotic trees, including oaks, hawthorns, willows and horse chestnuts. The land running down to the river is covered in native Kowhai (making for a spectacular golden show in August and September (early Spring).
A formal orchard provides us with a range of fruit throughout the summer and autumn, including assorted varieties of pears, plums and peaches, while apple and quince trees are scattered throughout the rest of the garden.
A greenhouse and several vegetable gardens offer fresh greens throughout most of the year (although gardening in the snow does take it's toll, and veges are often bought in during the worst of the year).
Our gardens tend to be organic and spray free.
Click here for information about other beautiful gardens at other New Zealand Lodges
Walking Tracks
A short walking track can be found behind the lodge, with the route taking you across the stream and through the stand of pines on the promontory looking out over the river. Guests can enjoy a quiet meander through the pines, stopping to look at the view, or go a bit further around for views up the valley.
For guests wanting a more demanding walk, there are several tracks running through our property and that of some of the neighbouring farms which offer unparalleled scenic views and fresh mountain air.