Stunningly renovated iconic century-old Ōwhango Post Office furnished in a lavish Art Deco style, located in the heart of the Ruapehu District, on the edge of the Tongariro National Park.
Prestigious "5-Star" grading by Qualmark, and reviewed by the NZ Herald as one of the Top 13 historic heritage places to stay in NZ.
AMENITIES OVERVIEW:
> 6 x Queen/Double Bedrooms + Interconnecting Dorm Room
> Beautiful main Kitchen-dining-laundry, plus lovely second kitchen-dining-laundry
> Gatsby style Lounge with fireplace
> Private backyard with Hot-tub spa-pool, Sauna cabin & Fire-pit
> Drying Room
> Gun Vault (for hunters)
> 2 x opulent bathrooms
> Garage to store outdoor gear
> Nightly rate based on two guests per Queen/Double bed - but don't hesitate to enquire about an alternative arrangement.
LOCATION - THE NORTH ISLAND'S OUTDOORS MECCA
Located in the heart of the Ruapehu District - outdoors capital of the North Island! - the UNESCO World Heritage Tongariro National Park's conservation areas start just 5-mins walk away at the end of the road, which is also a popular local world-class Fly-Fishing location.
Many of NZ's top walking hikes and top cycle trails are just 1-30mins away, including the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, the Timber Trail, Old Coach Rd, and 42 Traverse (which ends at our doorstep), plus NZ's two largest ski-fields Whakapapa & Turoa on Mt Ruapehu ... along with many other regional attractions including the Forgotten Highway, Bridge to Nowhere and mighty Whanganui River.
BEDROOM CONFIGURATIONS:
The basic nightly rate includes up to 10 guests staying in five bedrooms as:
> Four Queen/Double Bedrooms
> Plus 2 x Guests in Single Beds in the interconnecting Dorm Room
However this fabulous holiday home can accommodate up to 18 guests, with the additional guest bedding options as:
> Two guests in a fifth Double bedroom
> Up to 3 x Guests in the 7th 'Triple' Bedroom (double-single Bunk Bed)
> Another 2 x Guests in the Dorm Room (single beds)
> 1 x Guest sleeping on the Lounge 3-seater Couch (NB it is not a sofa-bed)
SPECIAL BED CONFIGURATION NOTE:
If you have less Couples and more Singles needing individual beds, you can book Extra Beds at a cost of $50. (Don't hesitate to let us know the breakdown of your group's specifics between adults/children/singles/couples etc and we are happy to make room bedding configuration suggestions - we're here to help in any way we can to ensure your stay is perfect!)
THE OLD POST OFFICE LODGE Holiday Home is especially perfect for groups of singles/couples, corporate retreats, and multi-generational extended families wanting 4-star mid to high-end accom rich with character and nice finishing touches.
This is an extraordinarily unique property, with its gorgeous rich art-deco decor full of authentic historic memorabilia and an impressive attention to detail ... you are stepping back a hundred years (but with all the mod cons).
AMENITIES IN MORE DETAIL FOR THIS BESPOKE HERITAGE-RICH ACCOMMODATION:
Opulent historic boutique Vacation Home with:
> Lavish Gatsby-style Lounge
> Stunning West-Wing Kitchen-Dining-Laundry
> Lovely East-Wing Kitchen-Dining-Laundry
> Impressive 4-Poster Queen primary bedroom
> Gorgeous 'Peacock' double bedroom (the old Post Master's Office)
> Spacious Ruapehu queen bedroom (the old Post Master's bedroom)
> Splendid Tongariro double bedroom
> Elegant Ngauruhoe double bedroom
> Roomy interconnecting Dorm Room with 4 x Single Beds (the old PostMaster's Lounge)
> Pretty Triple bedroom double-single Bunk-Bed [for larger group bookings]
> Back Deck with Finnish Sauna cabin, Alpine hot-tub Spa-pool, and Fire-pit with Cape Cod style seating
> Fabulous authentic memorabilia throughout - including one shower converted from the original phonebooth
> Drying Room cupboard
> Gun Vault for hunters (incl ammo safe)
> Adjacent Garage for storing outdoor gear including bikes, skis. snowboards, fishing-rods - even kayaks, a quad or jet-skis.
> 2 x Washing-machines & 2 x tumble Dryers
> Three heat-pumps/air-con in the common areas
> Heaters in every bedroom and electric blankets on every bed
> Location of the 42-Traverse trail 'Selfie Wall'
GUEST COMMENTS:
"Amazing place and awesome friendly communication. The decor is beautiful and every room is stunningly decorated. Loved staying here with a group of friends"
"The accommodation was fantastic and loved the decor. Host was great with communication ... highly recommend the place... 5 STARS"
"Amazing place for families or couples ... and most importantly it's soo clean"
"Amazing stay, the facilities and rooms were brilliant, thoroughly enjoyed the memorabilia"
"A lovely place to stay with little quirks and memorabilia ... facilities were brilliant"
"What an absolutely amazing place, full of gems and a perfect getaway spot to share with friends ... we're already planning another biking and hiking weekend"
"Great location ... Especially enjoyed our morning coffees on the sunny front porch and rugging up around the fire pit at night to toast marshmallows"
"Time travel very special accommodation! Absolutely delightful trip back in time ... lush and glamorous."
"Wow this lodge blew my mind. It is so well decorated and the details are spot on!"
"Wow, just wow! ... I love this place ... You will be pleasantly surprised at how central it is to everything in Ruapehu!"
LOCATION IN DETAIL:
Quaint Ōwhango Village, is in the heart of the southern King Country, which is part of the National Park Ward of the Ruapehu District ... with its location known as "Basecamp to the Ruapehu Region!"
> End point for the 42 Traverse trail including the 42 Traverse selfie-wall located next to the Post Office's garage (start point of the trail 25-min drive)
> 1-min walk to fab Blue Hill Cafe & Ruapehu Shuttles HQ
> 5-min walk to pretty Ohinetonga Trail (Tongariro Conservation park) & world-class trout fly-fishing at the Whakapapa River
> 10-min drive to Blazing Adventures HQ (canoeing, jet-boating, fishing & more)
> 10-15 min drive to the historic Kakahi General Store and Kakahi glow-worms (can be seasonal)
> 15-mins south of Taumarunui Town (incl New World Supermarket & Forgotten World Adventures HQ)
> 15-mins north of National Park Village (incl superette, cafes, pubs, restaurants, Fisher Track)
> 25-mins north-west of Chateau Tongariro & Whakapapa Village (another 5-10 mins drive up the Bruce Rd on Mt Ruapehu to the Whakapapa Ski Field and the Sky Waka Gondola)
> 30-mins south of the Timber Trail's shuttles HQ
> 30-mins north of Horopito (Smash Palace, Old Coach Road trail, Tohunga Junction, Ruatiti Valley trail)
> 30-mins to Laurens Lavender Farm with Cafe & 30-mins to the super cute Nevelea Alpacas
> 35-40 mins drives to start & end of the legendary Tongariro Alpine Crossing trek (Ruapehu Shuttle's can do drop-off & pick-up)
> 40-mins north of pretty Ohakune Village with its lots of interesting shops (and the giant carrot kids playground).
> 50-mins west of Turangi Town (on the banks of the Tongariro River)
> 60-mins north of Turoa Ski Field on Mt Ruapehu
> 60-mins north-west of Waiouru & the excellent National Army Museum
> 50-60-mins west of southern Lake Taupo
> 75-mins north of Whanganui River Adventures HQ in Pipiriki (start point for tours to the extraordinary Bridge to Nowhere)
> 90-mins south-west of the major lakefront town of Taupo (also location of nearest domestic airport)
OUR COVID-19 PREVENTION DEEP-CLEANING PROTOCOLS
• Contactless self-check-in using Key Lockboxes.
• 24-Hour minimum gap between all full-house bookings.
• For bookings not reserving the entire house, no areas are shared between West-Wing-only and East-Wing-only bookings (except garage storage for outdoor equipment).
• All rooms are ventilated before cleaning, and cleaning staff wear disposable gloves.
• We clean to remove dirt, then disinfect to kill germs, with a strong focus on all frequently touched surfaces (eg light switches, door-knobs, remote-controls, sink-taps, dishwasher & washer/dryer controls, lockbox keypads, hairdryer/straightener, hand-rails, kitchen appliances, kitchen condiments, kitchen/bathroom cabinet handles, etc), and vacuum cleaners emptied between guests.
• All bedroom Linen and bathroom Towels are washed at the highest heat seating recommended by their manufacturer.
• Supplies provided for guests of antibacterial hand soap, paper towels & tissues.
