The Glasshouse – The ten best romantic getaways around Auckland for you and your squeeze
By UrbanList
The Glasshouse is dreamy opulence on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Enjoy champagne on arrival while you ponder what to indulge in first: will you live your mermaid fantasy in the saltwater reticulated rockpool, go for a cheeky dip in the private cove or spend the afternoon relaxing in a hammock among ancient Pohutukawa trees?…. read more
The Cliff House: Whangārei’s luxury four-bedroom house offers spectacular views
By Mary de Reuter
A luxury four-bedroom house that lives up to its name, with spectacular coastal views.
THE PLACE
The Cliff House is a four-bedroom, three-bathroom house set on 10 hectares of private land at Whangārei Heads. It’s one of five properties….. read more
Travel Dreams: New Zealand’s secret adults-only rock pool
By Brook Sabin
I wish I was self-isolating here. Imagine having your own peninsula filled with native bush.
Near the end, is a glasshouse shaped like a five-star version of the Starship Enterprise. It’s the kind of place you can watch the Milky Way from the bed. But it gets better. Wander down a little winding trail and you’ll find a glistening rock pool – complete with giant bean bags for relaxing next to nature’s plunge pool.
Welcome to the Glasshouse, a luxury coastal lodge near Whangārei… Read more
The Glasshouse – Above by head and shoulders
By Stephanie Holmes
A weekend escape to a luxury lodge in Northland is magic, writes Stephanie Holmes.
The last time I saw Bream Head, it was after slogging my way along the 7.5km endurance test that is the Te Whara track, one of the toughest day walks in the Whangarei Heads region.
This weekend the outlook is very different. I’m gazing on the undulating rocky outcrop from the comfort of an oversized outdoor beanbag on a large wooden deck, a glass of wine in hand and gentle background music complementing the evening birdsong……. read more
Lovers Cottage cliff-top hideaway comes with secret rock pools….
By Colleen Hawkes
At this time of the year, our thoughts turn to holidays and lazy summer days beside the sea.
For a few lucky travellers, that may well be a stay in the Glasshouse…… read more
Intoxicating the senses:
Nature and luxury combine a dream getaway at the Glasshouse.
It’s not everyday places like this are uncovered in New Zealand.
Nestled in 25 acres of private, gated peninsula jutting out in the pristine clear blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, The Glasshouse has been meticulously designed and poured over every detail to vaporise your troubles, stresses and the mundane of the daily grind in the winterless north….
Taiharuru Lodgings delivers 110%
By Nick Unkovich
Taiharuru’s Ara Roa Villa and Boutique Lodgings find the right balance.
Visitors pay up to $1250 a night to stay at Taiharuru’s Ara Roa Villa and Boutique Lodgings run by Paul and Susanne Olsen, offering spectacular coastal estates and secluded mountainside luxury retreats starting from $325 a night (low season couple rate).
Olsen’s philosophy is to……. read more
The Glasshouse, Whangarei, New Zealand
By Andre-Luc Tessier
This glass, steel and timber structure is nestled among ancient Pohutukawa trees on the tip of a peninsula in northern New Zealand. Integrating multiple skylights and floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides, The Glasshouse brings visitors close to nature without sacrificing comfort. Take in the Pacific seascape from the comfort of a hammock or head down the path for a dip in a private cove…..
Paradise Revisited
By Peter Shand Press
Whangarei district, I rediscovered during my holidays, is one of the best places on the planet. From hiking over the ancient remnant of Gondwanaland, the Western Hills, to soaking up several of the district’s beaches, I was constantly reminded that Northland boasts a breathtakingly precious environment.
But don’t just take my word for it; NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC with the help of conservation biologists has included our region in one of 25 ecological “hotspots” throughout the world which are “exclusive” homes to 44% of the Earth’s plant species and 35% of its birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians […]
Anchored in a quiet bay
By Wayne Thompson
The castle-like peaks of the Whangarei Heads stand out in a big bay of blue sea as you drop down the Brynderwyns on the main highway to Northland. […] Press
At the end of a 1.4km private road up the side of Kauri Mountain, we found the Olsen’s farmlet. […] On an 18ha block, 30km east of Whangarei, they built a home and later, on a bushy paddock farther up the mountain side, a two-bedroom guest house, they call Ara Roa.
Peace of Paradise
By Steve Challis
Steve Challis discovers Ara Roa, an upmarket home and accommodation venture 30km east of the city.
Paul and Susanne Olsen spent eleven years working in the highly charged, surreal world of the ‘Superyacht Set’. A career that took them to many exotic and hidden corners of the globe. A glamorous and exciting lifestyle one might think – but according to Paul, the glamour part accounted for “perhaps 10% of the time, the other 90% could be damn hard work”. read more
