At Atea Lodge we do everything we can to promote sustainability and reduce our carbon footprint on a daily basis. We strive to consistently consider ways to do it better and smarter.
We live in a beautiful part of New Zealand among native bush, mountains and near the sea with an abundance of bird-life. Not only do we understand the importance of protecting the natural environment we live in for ourselves and future generations – our community does as well.
The land – We believe we are merely caretakers of our land – here to safeguard it for the future.
We have 6 acres – 2 acres of gardens and paths around the Lodge – and 4 acres of native bush and trees we have placed into Queen Elizabeth the second (QE11)Trust. This is a protective covenant that means nothing can be built or changed on this land. It will be left this way for ever to ensure it is nurtured and protected for future generations to enjoy in its natural state.
We work with Driving Creek, who border our land, to eradicate pests and noxious weeds. We use good earth traps which are regularly monitored. Driving Creek and surrounding properties are working towards a totally pest free environment to enable kiwi release. Kiwi already live in our bush and their presence is evident on night cameras. You can hear their call from the Lodge at night.
When we arrived at the Lodge we felled many large non native trees to make room for massive plantings around the Lodge. We have planted over 1000 plants and native trees including Kauri which has brought an abundance of bee and bird life. We use mulch on our two acres of gardens from our garden maintenance and tree removal for weed control and water conservation. Our love of the land makes this an ongoing project.
Water – Our water is sourced from a natural spring on our property and rain water collected into large tanks. Our water goes through a UV light and filter purification and monitoring process, to ensure we provide the purest water possible (which tastes great!). Our grey water from washing machines is used for gardens.
We encourage guests to drink our water rather than one use plastic water bottles.
Rooms – The Lodge was built with untreated Douglas Fir framing so no chemical treated wood within the interior of the rooms. Our heat pumps (air conditioning) are the latest eco friendly models. We regularly upgrade appliances for more efficient energy – having replaced all Lodge room Smart TV’s in 2023 – the old ones recycled to a local store that benefits the community.
Bathrooms – We use large refillable toiletries in recyclable bottles and we use eco friendly and bio degradable cleaners. We have heated towel rails in the guest rooms and encourage guests to re use towels to conserve water and detergents. Our toilets have dual flush and showers have water regulators to conserve water.
Recycling – We recycle all packaging, cardboard, paper, tin cans, plastic and glass and are constantly thinking of ways to reduce these items. We supply recycling bins in guest rooms and also supply large outdoor recycle bins.
We compost a large portion of our food waste.
We recycle furniture and items to local shops where funds go back into the community. We always consider if an item can be re used or recycled before the landfill option.
