Northland 'glamping' business and conventional lodge on the market

One of New Zealand's quirkiest 'glamping' operations featuring this Mongolian yurt-style tent is for sale.

One of New Zealand's quirkiest 'glamping' operations – featuring a Mongolian yurt-style tent and a fully renovated shipping container with outdoor 'baths under the stars' – is for sale.

Birdsnest holiday home in Northland is a commercial accommodation venue set on 13.88ha of bush-clad rolling countryside at Donnellys Crossing just north of Dargaville.

The business features a standard B & B style accommodation offering of two bedrooms serviced by their own bathroom, kitchenette and lounge area as part of what was once a colonial farm homestead.

The 'glamping' operation - includes a fully renovated shipping container with outdoor 'baths under the stars'.

However, Birdsnest's points of difference are its eco-themed accommodation and guest amenities nestled amid stands of native bush. The first of Birdsnest's left-field glamping facilities is a lotus bell shaped tent with an adjacent bathroom housed in a rustic wooden-framed garden shed, and across the decking from a separate outdoor kitchen.

The second eclectic accommodation option is a converted shipping container – also with an outdoor bath and rustic outdoor kitchen and dining area, on a wooden decked platform with countryside views.

Both of Birdsnest's eco' stay options are powered by a combination of solar panels or gas, with chilly bins provided to keep guests' food and beverages chilled for the duration of their stay. In keeping with Birdsnest's minimal environmental impact' philosophy, water for all guest amenities is sourced from a stream on the property before being filtered and treated.

The homestead at Birdsnest was built of locally-milled kauri around 1900 and was further extended in the 1980s in a replica style.

Nightly rack rates at Birdsnest range from $120 for the nine square metre shipping container through to $150 for the tent or a room in the homestead lodge.

The freehold land, buildings and Birdsnest accommodation business are now being marketed for sale at auction on March 29 through Bayleys Dargaville.

Saleswoman Catherine Stewart said, in addition to the commercial accommodation options, the property also came with a three-bedroom owner/manager's home.

Ms Stewart said the Birdsnest business had been successfully operating for three years, and was now poised to significantly grow into a new era with additional investment from any new owner/operator.