Ratanui Lodge

Set back from the road across from Pohara Beach, Ratanui Lodge sits at the top of the South Island, in Golden Bay, within reach of the northern Abel Tasman National Park and Farewell Spit. Gardens surround the property, along with a small saltwater pool and spa pool where tui birds work the flowers. The lodge holds ten rooms across two wings, nine deluxe and one luxury, each with an en suite bathroom and outdoor seating onto the garden. It is a small stay, and a quiet one. Rooms carry a coastal, contemporary look, with natural fabrics and prints by Golden Bay artist Peter Geen; bathroom amenities come from a family-run soap maker over the hill in Marlborough. The restaurant, open to the public daily, draws on growers and makers from around the bay: organic vegetables from Puramahoi, pasture-raised meat from Ellis Creek Farms, coffee roasted in Nelson, and bread made daily from a long-kept sourdough starter. A 2021 refurbishment brought double glazing, LED lighting and heat pumps throughout. Beyond the pool and garden, Pohara Beach lies just across the road, and Takaka's small galleries and Te Waikoropupu Springs are a short drive away. The lodge can also be booked in full for private events, all ten rooms at once.