Canopy Camping offers glamping escapes across the country, including the Birds Eye View lodge in Timaru. Photo / Supplied
This article was one of Herald Travel’s best-read stories of 2023
It’s been less than 20 years since the phrase “glamping” began making its way from the travel pages and on to the wish lists of travellers.
But in that short time, the concept has evolved beyond just putting a bed in a tent. Today’s glamping destinations showcase the best of their surrounding environments, allowing travellers to immerse themselves in nature with minimal effort.
All but relatively unknown five years ago, Canopy Camping has taken Aotearoa by storm, and now has more than 80 privately owned locations across the country. However, not all its offerings are, by definition, glamping. Many are more akin to small holiday homes, complete with running water and electricity. (Its newest location, Watercliff in the Bay of Plenty, springs to mind.) But if an actual tent is what you’re after, you’ll find it at Lake Tarawera’s Kanuka. Located in a boat-in-only nook in the bush, the safari tent is beachfront, and only a short hike from nearby hot springs. Then again, no one said that glamping only takes place outdoors. Canopy Camping’s most unusual offering is located directly in Auckland’s Eden Park. A surprising cosy overnight stay, The Staydium allows its guests to roam the sports arena at night, and wake in the morning to the sun rising over the stands.
Nipping closely at Canopy Camping’s heels, PurePods launched in New Zealand in 2014 and since then, has grown into a brand that people talk about with hushed reverence. There are now nine pods across the country — one on the North Island, six on the South Island, and two on Rakiura/Stewart Island — with their exact locations only revealed upon booking. While they sit on the more luxurious end of the glamping spectrum (with units starting at $590 a night), there’s no TV, Wi-Fi or air-conditioning and in some cases, no cellphone reception. But it’s all intentional. The entertainment here is watching the world drift by, through the all-glass cabins’ triple-glazed windows.
It’s like something out of a Netflix property renovation series: A young couple buys an ageing caravan park. Then, they quickly set to work turning it into a sustainably minded destination for locals and tourists, with the addition of modern cabins with sea views, seasonal beachside glamping tents, and a cafe housed in shipping containers. That’s roughly the story behind Tatapouri Bay, situated just outside Gisborne. There are both two-person ($225) and four-person ($275) Lotus Belle tents available, outfitted with plush queen-sized beds and USB outlets for charging devices. The on-site Finnish sauna and oceanfront spa round out the experience.
These two to four-person abodes run light on the “glamour” — they’re just standard run-of-the-mill tents, but with cot beds within from AU$135 ($144). But the real selling point here is that they’re located on an island in the middle of Sydney’s Harbour. During its storied history, Cockatoo Island has served as penal establishment (its convict-era buildings are on Unesco’s World Heritage List), an industrial and reformatory school for girls, and the official dockyard for the Royal Australia Navy. In addition to exploring the island’s relics and buildings, campers can watch movies in the campground cinema, play vintage lawn games, and possibly even see a ghost or two, so they’ll have another story to tell around the campfire.
Hidden deep in a gorge on the edges of Lamington National Park — an area just inland of the Gold Coast, renowned for its waterfalls, lush rainforest, and glow worms — you’ll find Nightfall’s custom-designed luxury camping tents. These are safari tents unlike any you’ve ever seen, from the indoor fireplaces to the hand-carved stone basins. Roll up the canvas, and you might glimpse red-neck wallabies, flying foxes, and even koalas wandering past your tent. The experience — which is inclusive of alcoholic beverages and fire-cooked organic food, with the option to add-on massages in the privacy of your tent — starts at AU$935 per night, but is booked-out months in advance.
Arguably Australia’s most iconic glamping experience, Longitude 131 will allay any concerns you might have about just how glamorous glamping can really be. After all, this is where the royals stay when they come to visit Australia, as Kate and Will did back in 2014. Part of the Luxury Lodges of Australia collection, the glampsite (if you can even call it that) is nestled amongst the red dunes and has views of Uluru and across the desert to Kata Tjuta. But it also offers opportunities for cultural immersion, including through its artist-in-residence programmes, where guests can interact with Aṉangu painters and ceramicists. Rooms start at AU$4200 per night, including all dining and beverages, signature guided experiences, and return airport transfers.
Drive three hours south of Sydney, and you’ll find yourself in pretty Jervis Bay, with its turquoise waters, white-sand beaches, whale-watching opportunities, and paperbark forests. It’s in the latter that you’ll find Paperbark Camp, a collection of canvas tents among the eucalypts. Each has an open-air private en suite, with freestanding bath and shower, so you watch kangaroos hop through the bush as you shower. Canoes and bicycles are available for use, making it easy to visit one of the area’s two award-winning microbreweries. Specials are frequently offered, with rates starting from AU$635 per night, which includes a three-course dinner, full breakfast, and takeaway lunch.
This piece originally appeared in New Zealand Herald Travel here.
This article was originally published on January 7, 2023
When there's nothing as far as the eye can see, you may appreciate the company.