Lake House is situated on 3 hectares of land near a lake used by local farmers to irrigate their crops in times of water shortage. Its tranquil waters are home to a great number of native birds, wild ducks and water fowl – we have even seen black swans – as well as being fringed in part by native bush.

The comfort of our accommodation has not been achieved at the expense of the environment. Being situated in the country, we get our water supply from two 25,000 litre rain water tanks and we have a sophisticated effluent system which pumps the recycled water back into the gardens. We use eco-friendly products where possible and support local businesses as much as we can.

Our large garden has been landscaped using numerous local volcanic rocks. Historically, similar rocks were used in the making of the many drystone walls which are a particular feature of this part of the country. We have planted extensively with native and tropical trees, flowers and shrubs which attract many birds.

We believe in protecting the beautiful environment of New Zealand so that future generations can visit and enjoy it too and so we try to ensure we use no more resources than our business requires. We support the famous weekly growers market in Whangarei, the first of its kind in New Zealand. Here we buy fruit and vegetables, meat, fish, milk, honey, eggs, cheese and plants. We compost our vegetable waste for the garden, use low-energy lighting and bio-degradable environmentally-friendly cleaning products, donate unwanted items to a local charity and recycle newspapers, bottles and tins.

Nearby Mount Maungatapere is an extinct volcanic cone believed to have last erupted about 800 years ago. It is covered in native bush, is a sanctuary for indigenous birds and its crater is filled with primeval forest. A new project to create a vermin-free environment has begun with the aim of reintroducing a range of endangered birds such as kiwi, weka and kokako and the 2 species of native lizards – the skink and gecko. To encourage their return, native food plants such as the Northern Rata and the Puriri are being planted. This project is heavily supported by the local community who are working in conjunction with the Department of Conservation.