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Unique hostel with all home comforts, lodges and cottages nestled in the native rainforest. Excellent place to relax ~ restore ~ explore. Beautiful beaches, river walks, horse trekking, and kayaking close-by. Bread/brownies available for sale. FREE UNLIMITED WIFI is available in all rooms of the retreat. 3kms north of the Pancake Rocks, the sign on main road for Motel - Homestay - Backpackers indicates your turn off. Book your Intercity Bus to the Truman Track (TRT) and you'll be only meters away from Te Nikau.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Quaint
Quirky Hotels
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish, Portuguese
Location
19 Hartmount Place, Punakaiki 7873 New Zealand
Te Nikau Retreat
4.3 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
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This place was EXCELLENT value for money! It's a very close drive from the pancake rocks but also has access to another great track taking you down to a beach with amazing views. I stayed in a private room in a shared house, the kitchen was very well equipped with everything you could need. Bathrooms clean. And the bedroom was lovely and cozy, with windows overlooking the trees made you feel like you are really in the forest. Friendly staff and easy parking.
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Date of stay: June 2024Trip type: Travelled solo
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 only stayed 1 night in the Tiro Moana room. Our spot was closer to the road, but didn’t notice any road noise. We had the top half of one bldg on a slope, so we walked straight into our lodging, but the unit below us had to go up & down stairs. We had a small deck w/ table & chairs, with a beautiful view looking over the bush and just faintly able see the horizon/ocean. Nice bedroom and living space, nice kitchenette and small fridge. Bathroom was a good size but very basic, shower was just a curtain w/ water running to a central drain in the room. Private trail to the Truman Track onsite or easy access to the public one. Location was good for the Pancake Rocks – about 5-10 min drive at most.
It did have some creaky floors, so we felt bad for the unit below us, no shampoo/soap for the shower, and no hair dryer. It also could have used a hook next to the sink in the bathroom so you didn’t have to walk across the room with wet hands/face. However, the benefits outweighed the small annoyances.
Check-in was easy at the office (separate bldg) and we liked the format with the small separate buildings. They were all tucked into the bush, so seemed very remote/private even though they were fairly close together. Wish we could have stayed here longer!
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Date of stay: November 2019
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
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 stayed in the Tiro Moana room. It was basic but had everything we needed. Nice view from the patio of the ocean, can sit out here and enjoy the views. Located in a wooded area with a path you can take to walk down to the beach. See the sunset here! Bring bug spray: there were black flies down by the water. If you don't have any they sell it too. Option for freshly baked bread, butter, eggs, coffee for a small fee down in the kitchen area. It was convenient to see the Pancake Rocks. The office staff were all welcoming and friendly.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
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.
Response from Tami Krehan, General Manager at Te Nikau Retreat
Responded 18 Oct 2020
Thanks for this awesome review!! So glad you enjoyed your stay with us.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
RATA house at Te Nikau is perhaps best for backpackers with the locks on bedroom doors and 3 floors but toilets all on ground floor with slippery steps. It could do with some money spent as very tired. The 3 old worn couches on the second floor have the springs gone & just filthy, one person said they felt like a shower after each sit down. Bent pool cue could be replaced. Skirting boards dirty. Nowhere to sit outside. No teaspoons, crockery limited in numbers & very secondhand chipped looking. No dishwasher or TV ( lucky it was good weather). Basic bedding & numerous beds in one hot area with 2 fans going. double beds in other. $430 per night for 4 adults, 3 children was more than pristine places in eg - Hanmer, Kaiteriteri etc. The immediate areas to explore are good.
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Date of stay: September 2024
Value
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Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:The online pics do not show what this particular place is like. Take own towels & pillows (Towels...
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.
When we arrived on the first day the cabin was an absolute oven as it was a sunny day and all the windows and doors were shut apart from the one small window that did not shut at all as it needed repairs. When darkness fell we discovered that 3 light bulbs were blown including the two over the kitchen bench but we were too tired to request repair that night. During the night we were disturbed by mice in the kitchen and we found mouse pooh all over the kitchen including on the cutlery the next morning. We politely requested light bulbs and mouse traps and we were advised by the staff in a defensive fashion that these matters would be attended to while we were out that day. They were not attended to.
The cabin had beds for 7 but living room seating for 6, one of which was backless and one sofa was the most uncomfortable sofa I have ever sat on. There were many other bad details such as only 4 dessert spoons, taps that were hard to turn off, one tap the handle fell off, three beds were attached together so if one person moved all 3 beds moved.
All together this was a really bad experience and it was very embarrassing for me as the local lad hosting family members from the UK.
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
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In the middle of the forest, we almost missed the path. We walk 10 minutes and we get to the beach. Friendly and smiling welcome. We stayed in a triple room with private shower in the Ruru lodge. The room is quite small and a bit rustic but for one night it passes. The 4 bedrooms upstairs share a kitchen and a large comfortable living room on the ground floor. Good Wifi. A few minutes drive from the famous Pankake rocks.
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Date of stay: February 2025
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
Not easy to find as right in the middle of a rain forest, on saying that,it was quite an experience.You need to bring basic luggage as everything has to be carried up narrow, sometimes steep tracks to the various lodges. Not really suitable for anyone with walking issues. The lodge we stayed in had 2 bedrooms on the upper floor with 2 showers downstairs, one with a toilet and another toilet outside. The lodge was well equipped and you were able to buy basic food items near reception. Great for youngsters trekking around but a bit too basic for us. However, don't be put off, for a 1 night stay it was something different and very good value
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Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
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.
Response from JuliaJ2913, Manager at Te Nikau Retreat
Responded 31 Jan 2020
Thank you for the review. We are quite a unique accommodation place tucked into the beautiful West Coast rain forest.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Tui room was a chalet in beautiful rain forest. However we should have guessed when all windows were open on a cold autumn day it was due to a damp issue. Well worse than that - the bed was so damp it couldn"t be slept in.
Bathroom had condensation running down walls with toilet paper too damp to use.
This accommodation was not fit for guests. Let alone the charge of $150!!
When we complained - it took 2 emails, 4 phone calls and too many excuses to get a $70 refund.
The lack of sleep was not worth the $80 cost, aggravation and frustration.
Having had a wonderful South Island trip - Te Nikau Retreat was memorable for exceptionally poor accommodation.
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Date of stay: May 2022Trip 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.
Ti Nikau was not quite what i expected. It’s more of a hostel type of place with quaint little places in the bush. We stayed in Mamuku cottage and noone was staying above us so it was nice and quiet. However it is very old and tired and needing some TLC. All the cutlery and crockery are mismatched and the floor felt gritty. The bed was comfortable. There is wifi if you can get it. Which we couldn’t, unless standing on the drive ( in the rain). It was ok for one night but honestly at $150 a night it was the dearest and worst place of our West Coast trip.
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Date of stay: April 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip 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.
This place was absolutely fantastic - a gorgeous place in a dream location. It had so many wonderful touches like hot water bottles for the colder night and really beautifully set up rooms. Such a reasonable price for such a stunning place. Thank you so much!
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Date of stay: July 2021
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
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.
Hi there! If you book through the YHA website you can search availability for the property you're looking at, and a list of all available room types will appear. From there you can hover over the room types to see a description, and/or some of them will be called a Private Ensuite Room :)
Leicester, United Kingdom51 contributions30 helpful votes
Hi, it's about 3km from the Visitor Centre, 30-40 mins walking. However, if you phone them they might pick you up or you could hitch a lift. If you are nearby then it really is worthwhile staying at the retreat, and you can walk through the forest to the beach (pebbles but really interesting). And they make free bread every morning!
There are more places to choose from in the Punakaiki area.
PRICE RANGE
$65 - $96 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
New ZealandSouth IslandWest Coast RegionPunakaiki
NUMBER OF ROOMS
9
Prices are provided by our partners for one room, with variable occupancy rules as provided by the property, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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