About us

Steve and I moved to Nelson from central city Auckland, and I mean like only 8 minutes from Queen Street.  We were both working long hours in the city and we both wanted something more for ourselves.  

 

We had been looking for somewhere in the Nelson area, the sunshine capital of NZ, somewhere that was close to hunting and fishing for Steve and somewhere that I could run a B&B from.  We were shown this property.  What really sealed the deal for us were the stunning mountain views from almost everywhere on the property, the quiet that comes from being in the country, the absolutely gorgeous river that runs right through the property and the 100’s of acres of native bush that are right on our doorstep and I mean literally our land runs into the bush and threatens to be overtaken by the Native trees.  We were just fizzing with excitement when we saw it all.

 

As far as living in the country goes we were totally green, Steve being from the Snowden Mountain region of North Wales and me, well Auckland born and bred.  Steve has always loved NZ, having come here as a young man to pursue his dreams of being paid to hunt deer.  So a deer culler he was, a real live mountain man, lives to be in the bush, can walk uphill forever at speed and has excellent “bush sense”.  He is a great man to have with you in the wild.   

 

I was working in the travel industry, had travelled extensively visiting Hotels, Motels and staying in B&B’s.  I know what looks and feels great in an accommodation and I know what I like and would expect from this type of experience.  I think we have it right, from what our guests say anyway, and the simple fact that everytime we step into the cabin we feel extremely proud. 

 

Triple Tui became our new home and I traded my heels and dresses for gumboots and outdoor clothing.  My friends asked me, after I had moved down here, if I missed the city life?  What’s to miss?  Latte’s, shops, neighbours, traffic, noise etc… Nah, not for a minute.  When we walk outside and smell the air, see the many shades of green and hear the birds, we just couldn’t imagine living anywhere more picturesque, tranquil or beautiful.  This is us to a tee!

 

Then we chose the name Triple Tui, you know like 3 Tui’s singing their hearts out in the trees with a western twang to it, hence our entrance up the drive, plus Steve’s favourite hunting gun is a 222 (triple 2).

 

We were a bit ambitious too, in that there is no electrcity on our side of the Tadmor Saddle and so Steve decided that we should put in Hydro electricity.  Great idea!  Then ensued a mammoth task of getting our 75mm polythene piping a mile up in the bush to an inlet pool that would sustain our need, as well as battery banks and inverters.  Not bad for green horns really.  We are really pleased with the way this performs, but we still have to be careful about what appliances we use.

 

Why “LOG” cabins?  It has been our dream to build and live in one ourselves.  You can’t beat the feeling and warmth you get from logs, they just look warm and sturdy and safe and natural.  Mix that with a glowing log fire and you have a complete recipe for a romantic evening in.  It feels like an adventure, even if it is only an hour from the city!  You should try it.  The logs are locally grown Douglas Fir, the floor is locally milled Silver Beech and the furniture and fittings are hand made locally by a very talented father and son team, out of Macrocarpa.  This mix sits beautifully against the landscape.  One day we’ll put photos of them being constructed on our site for all to see.

 

After “the fire” of November 2009, Steve has been busy clearing and making new tracks (because now we can see the ground and how it lies), planting trees where gorse grew, clearing some areas that were massively overgrown and identifying featrues that we would like to enhance as time and money permits.