History of Nelson Coastal Barnstay (NCB)
We bought this land from a deer farmer in 1987 before which the land was used as an apple orchard. Our home was built for Gill’s young family from England settling in New Zealand, and the Barn was and still is built to accommodate the visiting grandparents and extended family.
At that time we were surrounded by orchard and pine trees, but in recent years the rural economy has changed and with it the landscape too has changed. The land has been cleared and this has in turn changed the environment and the vista. We have changed from a wild wood and cultivated tree area to a grass land; this has had an affect on our eco climate and wildlife especially the bird life. We have regular visits from kereru (native Wood Pigeon), tui, pukekos, skylarks (in the surrounding paddocks), waxeyes, kingfisher, pheasant, finches, spur winged plovers, and an occasional grey heron.
But here on our piece of land we have tried to tread as lightly as possible.
We have many different garden projects on our five acres. At the road side and entrance we are coppicing eucalyptus nitens trees for our firewood supply. Our border on the driveway is mainly planted out with native trees. At the corner on the drive we have a pond garden, still developing, which contains a special pond plant ideal for the storm water and filtered grey water conditions.
The colour of spring bulbs, daisies, wild flowers and a wild patch of hebes and shrubs are the arrival area to the homes. The arena was used for when the children were small and learning to ride the pony but is now a convenient parking area for our "holiday in a bus".
The vegetable garden is surrounded by marigolds and planted out with garlic to offer natural protection from pests.
We aim to conserve water as much as we are able, by planting suitable plants for the soil & climate and using plenty of mulch. The trees bordering the arena are densely planted to afford us as much privacy as possible and are a safe haven for birds to enjoy & feed, as well as enjoying the nutrients from the overflow of our septic tank - you may see they are thriving well.
We avoid chemical sprays as much as possible and are now using environmentally safe products for cleaning all the homes. We recycle as much as the local council can offer as a service. We invite also you to participate in this during your stay.
Please assist us to continue to tread lightly here on this land.
We ask you to recycle all products. You will see the boxes and containers in both cottages.
Waste food is easily and thoroughly enjoyed by Ben, our pet kune kune pig, who will happily devour all food scraps – use the green bucket with the white lid. Please feed him by the stile opposite the veggie garden and empty the bucket over the fence, rather than feed him piece by piece.
We ask our guest to place paper and cardboard in one box; glass, plastic and tins should be rinsed and clean and placed in the other two boxes.
We also ask our guests to use the environmentally safe washing powder and products, available in the cottage.
If you are long stay guests we have a list available for the products we have researched and feel are the best for our conditions.
We are using eco electric bulbs and have gas powered hot water & heating. We urge our guests to conserve energy as much as possible. We also invite our guests to be conservative with water use and to switch off any unnecessary lights especially outside lights when not in use. Solar powered lights near both cottages are provided for convenience for late or night time arrivals.
We are members of the
Nelson-Tasman Sustainable Tourism Charter. 
See their website for more information.
Walking to the Beach
We have our neighbour’s goodwill to cross his property to walk to the nearby beach. It takes about 10-15 minutes and is often a deserted beach. Our dog, Toshka, is always more than happy to escort you but please don’t follow or rely on her directions, as rabbits and the smell of nature can cause her to take a new route home, which she is more than happy to do by herself.
Getting There
If you are in the Barn walk through the arena in front of the main house and take the gravel drive to be in front of Wheki Cottage, where you can follow the gravel drive and a grassy path north along the ridge. This pathway will take you down a gentle incline and when you reach the large grassy bank near the old oak tree turn down the steep bank to the beach.
The Beach
The beach is forever changing - there is a tidal change of 2 to 4 metres - at high tide there is a steep enough shelf to make swimming easy in the summertime only; at low tide the rock pools are exposed and the beach seems endless.
The beach walk can take you 3-4 km south to Ruby Bay and then for the very energetic on to Mapua. Or you can walk 6-10 km north towards Kina Beach and Kina Peninsula
If you are feeling like the walk towards Ruby Bay, please either take a lead for Toshka or ensure she doesn’t follow you by tying her up here at home by her kennel. No animals (even on a lead) are allowed in the McKee Memorial Domain enroute.
We wish you a warm welcome to our little piece of paradise.
Click here for a satellite view from Google Maps
Finally here are some beautiful words written by a previous guest:
Nestled on our borrowed Pa
overlooking our kingdom far
Toshka welcoming
Benny receiving
Tammy grazing
What more?
Olive groves glistening
Peaches, apples, vines ripening
Seascape breathtaking, eternal tides sweeping
Hills protecting, shadows fall
Abundance all around
Peace to all our souls
Kupe's message to the survivors in his canoe on reaching Aotearoa 'the land of the long white cloud'
Let the calm be widespread
Let the sea glisten like the greenstone
Let the shimmering warmth of summer ever dance across your pathways.
