Bough factor

Like a new and proud keeper of the past, Mike Yardley experiences a remarkable new treehouse experience on the West Coast loaded with goldmining heritage.

Amid the treasury of winning attractions across the West Coast, nothing beats the glorious forest and the heritage-laden nuggets lurking beneath the trees. But what if you could stay within the depths of the forest, in a lofty treehouse, surrounded by gold rush totems of the past? Well, now you can.

Nelson Creek is also home to one of New Zealand’s newest off-grid accommodation offerings, enrobed in spectacular native forest and encompassing a treasure trove of hidden wonders. I had the pleasure of bedding down at Te Aka Treehouse Native Forest Retreat, a wondrous passion project of Dave and Lisa North, who along with their children Amelia and Tom, plus Muddle the delightful Labrador-spaniel cross, will make you feel so welcome, with their hearty, homely hospitality.

"Te aka" is Māori for "the vines", embodied by the native rātā vines that scale the tree trunks. Dave and Lisa named the forest Te Aka, to symbolise their commitment to being faithful stewards of the land and the intertwining of nature and humanity. Growing, hunting, gathering, conserving and adventuring are in the North family’s DNA.

They walk the talk on the principles of kaitiakitanga (guardianship and conservation), with a deep commitment to nurturing the land and transforming it into an intergenerational home with a fresh, unfolding story.

Their homestead straddles a high plateau, above Nelson Creek, and their unique 23-hectare property is a ravishing blend of virgin, old-growth podocarp forest and regenerating woodlands. Tucked away on the side of the plateau, facing straight out to temperate rainforest, the treehouse has been ingeniously constructed around spectacular specimens of mataī, southern rātā and rimu.

As I soon discovered, Dave is like a super handyman who can turn his hand to any task, with passion, aplomb and resolve. His background is in crafting skateboards, but the craftsmanship entailed in the treehouse construction is seriously next-level! Everything was carried in piece by piece and by hand, for the treehouse construction. All the timber sourced for the accommodation was processed within 10km of their property. Eco-friendly practices are ever present, from the collection of fresh rainwater which is UV treated to the vermiculture-based septic system with tiger worms — which is still a full-flush toilet. Everything is powered by solar energy or a back-up generator. Fear not — you don’t have to go off-grid too when it comes to digital TV or staying connected. The Starlink Wi-Fi keeps you fully plugged in, if that’s how you roll. But nature’s theatre overshadows the titillations of technology. With elevated views of these majestic podocarp species in the treehouse, you literally feel like you’ve entered another realm of enchantment — at one with the noble forest.

There are actually two treehouses, with the main house spaciously designed with a full kitchen, lounge and sleeping area, consisting of a cloud-comfortable queen bed and single loft bed. The neighbouring house can accommodate two fellow travellers, so they can accommodate five guests in total. This is five-star living in forest finery. The main treehouse has an en suite bathroom with a deep relaxing bath. As you’d expect from this eco-conscious property, all the soaps and shampoos are natural and locally sourced. The fully equipped kitchen brims with so many thoughtful touches, stocked with basic pantry items, ensuring you have the essentials at your fingertips.

Lisa implores you to help yourself to the joy of picking fresh produce from their bountiful organic vegetable garden and freshly laid eggs from their free-range hens.

Both accommodations are wrapped with expansive decks, which is where I lingered, transported into a Zen-like state, communing with the trees and savouring the birdsong. Like a good-night kiss in the rainforest, a morepork (ruru) dutifully trilled its namesake notes, as the inky darkness descended. The watchful guardian of the forest was in very fine voice.

Before drifting off to sleep, I gazed in awe at the twinkling constellations directly above my bed in the perfectly positioned skylight. After a deep sleep, I awoke early to the forest’s ebullient dawn chorus. Tune in early — Morning Report isn’t a patch on this! The retreat has only been open since Christmas and it was striking to read the effusive comments in the guest book, where every guest waxed lyrical about how sensational their stay had been. Like them, I too was genuinely blown away by the elemental solitude, the exceptional wraparound beauty, the heritage nuggets, the five-star comforts of that dreamy treehouse, in addition to the golden hospitality. It really is the complete package.

The Norths’ remarkable forest haven extends seamlessly into conservation land, which accentuates the sensation of savouring a wilderness experience — despite only being half an hour’s drive away from Greymouth. It’s the private walking tracks that offer up more revelations — hidden totems to the region’s storied mining legacy. As Dave does for all guests, he led me on a captivating forest exploratory, showcasing the steely determination of those early goldminers. Golden Gully lies at the base of the steep hillside, below the treehouse, which Dave led me down to in his trusty ATV side-by-side. (He is working on plans to create a staggering spiral staircase at present, so guests can make their way down on foot.)

Amid the beauty of solitude and tinkling water of Golden Gully, this pocket of paradise spills with secrets of the grit and toil of the 19th century goldminers — and their mesmerising engineering feats. At the time, ground sluicing was the main method of working the gold from trough-like hollows on the surface of the area’s sandstone. Sluicing needed a good supply of water, which was directed over the working face, washing the gravels out. Large rocks were lifted aside and stacked as tailings, while the smaller material was washed down tailraces containing riffle boxes to "save" the gold. Tailraces were also essential to remove excess water from the working area. At the height of the gold rush around Nelson Creek, there were over 1200 miners in these parts — many of whom were Chinese goldminers.

Throughout the regenerating beech forest, I marvelled over the tailraces, many of which were more like slot canyons, cleaved out of the sandstone terraces with pickaxes and laborious, back-breaking manpower. And all without the luxury of machinery to assist them. Others were like cathedral-sized caves, designed to divert the water away. Dave has dubbed one of them "The Instagram Cave". It’s celestial. Some of them are so incredibly deep, narrow and smoothed out by the millions of litres of water that have passed through these narrow channels. Needless to say, torchlight comes in handy. I felt like I had been transported to Angkor Wat and some of the temple ruins reclaimed from the jungle, half expecting to cross paths with Lara Croft.

Interestingly, some of the remnants of the goldminers’ exploits have been given nicknames by the North children. Thomas bestowed the name "Indiana Jones Cave" on one of the tunnels — and it’s so apt. It’s the perfect movie set for a Hollywood blockbuster. Trust me, the sheer scale and variety of the tailrace tunnels here is jaw-dropping. And the fact that they are man-made through blood, sweat and tears is all the more extraordinary. It adds another layer of fascination to this eye-opening destination. Nestle yourself in the balm of nature’s embrace at Te Aka Treehouse Native Forest Retreat. It’s escapism in excelsis, engaging and stimulating all of your senses.

www.te-akatreehouse.co.nz