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1906 Edwardian Country Homestead 25 minutes north off SH3 from Whanganui City. Home Stay Bed and breakfast next to predator free bird sanctuary in beautiful garden setting and bush walks with amazing hill top views of the country side and native bush. Five spacious bed rooms, bunk house and sites for motor homes and camping. Liquor Licence on site and available for functions, events and conferencing. A great break away from busy city living or a day trip, a walk in the bushy and enjoy the native bird life and see one of the largest Rata trees in New Zealand standing at 39.7m tall then finish off with a devonshire tea or lunch in the homestead.
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We held a special birthday dinner at the Homestead. We booked a private room, which was beautifully arranged, we had comfy chairs to sit and chat for pre dinner drinks. The hosts were amazing and the food was fabulous. The roast beef with all the trimming, oh and the apple pie was the best.
The design of the room, enabled everyone to hear each other as a few were hard of hearing. It is bar service or you can byo with a small corkage fee.
There was tea, coffee and port after the meal was a lovely compliment to a great evening.
Would highly recommend
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Date of stay: January 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bushy Park is far and away the best place we have ever visited anywhere in the world. From the moment we walked in and were greeted by the perfect host - Dale. He and his staff went out of there way to make us feel totally at home. The building is old but perfectly comfortable and beautifully maintained - a credit to the owners (it was given to Forest and Bird along with the 260+ acres of predator fenced native bush) and to Dale who owns nearly all of the beautiful furniture, glassware, vintage crockery and cutlery that we were privileged to use. From before we woke up until after we went to sleep we were pampered, and every wish was anticipated. We could not have been better looked after. The dinners Dale cooked were great, the fresh biscuits and cakes we were give were wonderful, and the breakfasts (included in the room rate) were perfect. All this was at a much lower cost than we would have paid for a bare motel in any of the bleating tourist towns in the country. And - it is in the centre of a bird sanctuary (free for anyone to enter at any time) where tieke (saddleback), hihi (stitch birds), tui, keruru, and the north island robin abound. Will we go again? Certainly, we have already booked!
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Date of stay: October 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Just go there - it’s worth it.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My wife and I stayed there as a bit of a trip down memory lane, having stayed there 25 years ago with her mother. The bush is more advanced and the walks better organized. The anti-predator fence has made a big difference to the number of birds around with lots of saddlebacks and hihi's. This is one of the few bits of original forest left, and something to be treasured. The northern rata are amazingly large. The walsk are also dry as they are very well drained. The homestead is a nice character place, and the rooms comfortable, although you will share bathrooms and the showers are basic. There is a little museum and the such. Very nice for small families I think. They have ``kiwi trad food'', the kind you might have had when you were young. Our meal was pretty nice (chicken, cheese, ham/chips/mixed veges/dessert of pie/icecream) home cooking, and my wife's gluten intolerance was well catered for. The host Dale is a nice guy with a colourful past. The wine and beer are reasonable and reasonably priced. The breakfast has endless coffee, toast, cereals, juice and is excellent value. The cost is also quite reasonable. Lots of people go there for high teas also which look great. The rooms were great to lounge around in and have a wee port. Pretty good wi-fi, also. There is a single TV room and the family who stayed ther eused it a lot. Would go again.
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Date of stay: October 2020
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Room Tip:We asked for no feathers and this can be done.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Absolutely fabulous experience -artfully restored homestead, delicious meals, comfy beds, best host ever and sanctuary birds as neighbours. Come and relax and step back in time to experience Victorian elegance. Situated right next to the predator proof bird sanctuary you will be able to spend hours wandering the trails and spot species rarely seen in your backyard
Don’t miss Bushy Park
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Date of stay: January 2025
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Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I went on two occasions with different groups of friends in October 2022, staying a single night and dining in on each occasion. It was a birthday celebration, and Bushy Park was the perfect match of affordability and specialness. The homestead is lovely and refurbished beautifully and appropriately for a historic building. The beds were very comfortable. Dale, our host was terrific - he provided us with a lovely meal on each occasion and made us feel very much at home. Two of our party played the baby grand in the billiard room and that also helped match the venue and the occasion perfectly. And then there is the surrounding reserve with its wonderful bush and birdlife! All of our guests had a lovely time and we would certainly recommend staying over if you have a special occasion - or if you simply want to rest up in beautiful surroundings and enjoy some forest bathing as well.
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Date of stay: September 2022
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Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Bathroom facilities are shared, so maybe take a robe or something covering?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This gracious historic homestead 24km from Whanganui offers guests a very good experience. Dale and his team are very welcoming and nothing is too much trouble. There are five bedrooms and several formal and informal spaces and period furniture adds to the atmosphere. The food is excellent and dinner offers the opportunity to chat with other guests. A wide range of drinks is available at very reasonable prices. Two nights stay are better than one as it will give you the opportunity to walk the tracks and admire the bush and the prolific bird life that flourishes inside the predator free fence. Hihi, robins, and saddlebacks are some of the many birds that you will see. The old stables provide an interesting look at aspects of the past. Highly recommended.
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Date of stay: April 2021
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Service
Room Tip:Room two is very spacious and offers great views.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We went for lunch to this historic homestead, and although the menu is limited, the food and attention to detail is delicious and impressive respectively. Dale Pullen is a wonderful host. Anyone visiting the Whanganui area MUST visit this place. After you have had the wonderful fluffy scones with jam and cream, walk around the beautiful forest sanctuary for New Zealand bird song at it's finest. It is so good to see the preservation of this fine place. Thank you for a wonderful afternoon Dale, My Dad loved listening to the old gramophone
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Date of stay: March 2023
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Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Just go there!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The sprawling homestead with its large bedrooms, numerous lounge areas, formal and informal dining rooms was a pleasure to roam and relax on our three day stay. My favourite part was the long covered balcony overlooking the park like grounds where we would sit with a drink in the evenings watching the wood pigeons play. Dale our host was forever accommodating, where nothing was too much trouble. The bird watching in the bird sanctuary was such an amazing treat. Saddlebacks, Stitch birds and the cutest little Robins were my favourites. I’m not sure why you would want to stay anywhere else in Whanganui.
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Date of stay: January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A splendid architectural jewel in the midst of nature. Reminds you a little of a downtown abbey setting. Spotless and plenty of yesteryear’s artifacts in sync with the mansion. Couldn’t understand why the showers were made of cheap plastic worthy of a 2 star country motel, not expecting that, tiny and uncomfortable. As for the dinner, a splendidly appointed dining room, fit for royalty, yet an unimaginative typical English fare: meat & 3 vegs kind of thing, instant gravy and apple pie bought at the supermarket, and so on.
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Date of stay: January 2025
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Difficult shower facilities
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We were welcomed to the grand Victorian homestead at Bushy Park with a conservation pest free reserve on the doorstep. We did the wetlands walk when we arrived and identified a Hihi or Stitchback male bird in the bush. Together with the eight other house guests from different parts of NZ, we enjoyed the evening starting with pre dinner drinks, then dinner followed by coffee and port in the drawing room. There are several bush walks to explore on the property - Giant Rata, and Kauri trees with wonderful birdsong from the Stitchbirds, Saddlebacks and North Island Robins, Tui and Kereru!
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Date of stay: April 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Whanganui area.
LOCATION
New ZealandNorth IslandManawatu-Wanganui RegionWhanganui
NUMBER OF ROOMS
5
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