Secret Cottage

I am Taranaki born and love this out-of-the-way part of our beautiful country. The arts are superbly represented here. I remember when the coffee was instant and the beer was Taranaki Bitter. Now our little city leads the world with coffee roasting, craft beers and gin.
I love to trek or ski on Taranaki, our mountain that calls us home; surrounded by lush native bush, ocean and wild beaches. The world hasn't fully discovered it just yet and I like it that way.

I have a feeling of peace when I walk onto this place. The feeling that you are miles from anywhere and the worries magically drop from your shoulders.
The gardens were planted by the orginal owner into a food forest which attracts the birds and gave birth to it's name: Manukorihi - a chorus of birds.

My favourite place is first thing in the morning when the sun floods into the sunroom I can plan my day uninterrupted and drink coffee before the rest of the household wakes up. In the winter I feed another log to the fireplace to take the chill off the morning air.
In the warmer weather, the little pond and zen garden is another quiet space to escape to.
The stray grey cat that has been living under the house for a while has just started talking to us. If you wish to, giving him a handful of cat biscuits every now and then stops him from going after the native birds.