Glamping

After our brief stopover in Auckland we were flying high with our new fridge and ready to boogie to Mercer to take a break from Jeff…and sleep in a tent. But this was no ordinary tent! This was awesome. I’m making a permanent move to an impermanent dwelling.

When we pulled into the farm Nick and Sasha immediately greeted us and showed us around. The kids fed carrots and bread to the goat and donkey, who are besties, and then took a ride on the donkey. Paula has a lovely post about this.

The farmhouse was a modern, rambling ranch like something out of Napa. So beautiful. Nick’s parents own the farm next door and he’s a ski instructor turned mechanical engineer turned cattle farmer. His wife Sasha wanted to run a hospitality business so they added on the farmstay.

They gave us an adorable welcome box of coffee, jams, cooking supplies and marshmallows.  We walked past the bulls to our gorgeous tent.  We played on the rope swing, rolled down the hill and took tubs outside.  They were psyched that they could splash everywhere without me yelling at them.

I did some yoga on our veranda before cooking dinner. It was the perfect temperature at dusk for a fire and s’mores.  We told ghost stories and watched the stars – definitely a night to cherish.

In the morning we made a fire and cooked up the farm’s eggs for breakfast.  We listened to the birds while waking up and sipped coffee and read by the fire.  No joke – it really was this picturesque.  All mornings should start this way.  This was another place that was hard to leave.  Sometimes these stays feel so brief but maybe that is what helps make the magic.