Rest, relax, reinvigorate

Coastal cabins in the heart of Westland.

Welcome to Te Wa Whakatā, Ōkārito, South Westland, New Zealand. We offer seven brand new, stand-alone, warm, comfortable and stylish cabins and two warm and sunny studios- set beside the largest untouched wetland of Aotearoa, with mountains, bush, lagoon and sea all part of the surrounding landscape. All cabins & studios have their own ensuite, kitchenette and deck. One cabin is wheelchair accessible and self-contained. We are self-catering and provide a communal kitchen and dining room where all guests can cook their own meals – if that isn’t for you then it is a 30 minute drive into Franz Josef where there are many options for dining. Our cabins and studios are a great place for couples, for singles and for groups travelling together or for a friend/family gathering (up to 18).  We have a couple of rollaway beds for families with young children though our site is best suited for adults and older children who can sleep in their own cabin. Our Ōkārito accommodation is a perfect site for quick access to the Ōkārito lagoon, the wild west coast beach and the native forest.

To respect the incredibly beautiful natural environment of this National Park our whole site is non-smoking (including vaping) and pet free.

Escape to nature

There is something to enjoy in all weathers – if you stay for a longer period you’ll experience it all. Ōkārito is a place for incredible mountain sunrises and ocean sunsets which offer fantastic photographic opportunities. It is a place for bird watching, bush and coastal walking, lagoon boating and relaxing in a completely natural environment. Our accommodation provides a fabulous place for groups with similar interests to have the privacy of their own space with our carefully designed cabins & studios and a larger communal space with a fully functional kitchen for groups of up to 18. The kitchen and dining room has a large deck all surrounded by native bush which has a variety of native birds feeding off the berries and leaves this bush provides. All guests can have the benefit of relaxing on a deck chair while the local kererū, tui, korimako, and piwakawaka flit and swoop from tree to tree. Te Wa Whakatā is adjacent to the Ōkārito Lagoon which is the feeding ground for the local kōtuku, the resilient tiny tuturiwhatu and the larger and equally resilient tōrea pango. With such close proximity to the mountains and beach, the dawn and dusk landscape provides a continual change of colours, cloud formations and seascapes. The night sky is uncompromised by artificial light so the southern hemisphere constellations are strong and clear.