Fantail Cottage

Rolling out the Welcome Mat...

Many visitors to my garden who discover the sleepout nestled in the midst of a thicket of bush and fruit trees, comment on the lovely setting. They imagine it as a beautifully quiet place to retreat to which it is. There are relatively few houses in the immediate vicinity as it backs onto a reserve on 2 sides. Hence there's a lot of birdsong from native Tuis and Fantails, not to mention the odd Rosella, Wood Pigeon or Pukeko. It really is a lovely place to hang out especially from spring to autumn.

Many express surprise that such a place can be found so close to Auckland city. It’s only a couple of minutes drive from the Auckland harbour bridge and is close to public transport, shops and cafes. You could cycle to the bridge in about 5-10 minutes which will be great when the Skypath (a cycleway across the harbour bridge) finally opens in a couple of years time.

Coupled with my experience over many years of hosting homestay students from all over the world, it seems only natural that we would think about making the sleepout available to paying guests, especially with the growing popularity of AirB&B these days. So that is what we’ve decided to do and we’re calling it “Fantail Cottage Retreat”.

The sleepout itself is only small so it will probably only suit a single person, perhaps an artist, photographer or a writer seeking some solitude for a few days, or simply someone travelling on their own. There is still a bit of work needed to get it ready for guests and when the time comes I’ll add a link to a website where it can be properly viewed and where bookings can be made — watch this space.

In the mean time if you’re planning a visit to Auckland in the near future this may well be an accommodation option for you to think about. If you need an excuse, why not come and watch some of the America’s Cup yacht racing which is due to start next year. We’re only a 5-10 minute bus ride from all the action.

I welcome any expressions of interest, feedback or questions you may have in the comments section below.