No 1 Ladies Backpackers at Tree Crop Farm — Hotel in Banks Peninsula Community

I have done an extensive amount of travel over the past 12 years. I’ve stayed in five star hotels, vibrant hostels, B&Bs, homestays, and everything in between. None have come close to my experience at Tree Crop farm and with our fabulous host, Lynnie.||||I contacted Lynnie via email to arrange the reservation. She was very quick to respond and it was easy to schedule the stay. I contacted her via email when we arrived in New Zealand. She was kind enough to give us updated weather conditions for the local area to help us plan accordingly.||||Once we arrived at Tree Crop, we felt instantly welcomed. There was a sign at the driveway with our names on it (literally our names), which helped confirm we were in the right spot (it’s rural). Chickens, ducks, a friendly, yet shy dog, and Lynnie all greeted us warmly as soon as we parked the car. I loved the life that was instantly apparent at this farm.||||Lynnie explained everything about the accommodations. She had fires already going in the fireplaces and the bush bath heated up. My husband and I settled into our love shack and enjoyed a nice evening bush bath. Lynnie went above and beyond, providing essential oils and fresh herbs for the bush bath. One of my favorite moments of the trip was relaxing in a bush bath under a sky full of stars, listening to the creek run. ||||The beds were warm and cozy. The rooms were smartly set. We had robes, fresh linens, and candles. Another highlight was waking up, opening the windows and looking over the lush farm waking up.||||Lynnie had gave us fresh eggs from the chickens for breakfast. We brought some bacon and enjoyed cooking a delightful breakfast over the fire place in her house. She treated us like her family; always inviting us to join her and her friends for evenings of laughs or a movie on her projector.||||I can’t say enough about our stay here. When I go back to New Zealand, I’d make a special trip to Akaroa to visit Tree Crop.||||If you’re someone who likes taking baths or enjoys hot tubs, this is a worthy...

The website is not a true depiction of what you get when you arrive.||The Veranda hut was so dusty and I don't think it had been cleaned in years!||No bbq as was mentioned in website and the toilet was so tiny my partner could hardly sit on it and it was open and exposed!||The outdoor bath was covered in rust and that was supposed to be the main attraction for us and the owner showed us her new outdoor bath for couples which she had filled with River water two days before and hadn't changed and it wasn't even filtered or cleaned and the bottom of it was green AND she stirred it with an old wooden oar to get the slim off the bottom and to spread the heat around OMG!!!!!||Plus we would have to get in the tub after other people had been in it and not cleaned!!||The bed was lumpy and sloped downwards and it only had a single electric blanket on one side?!!!||Not to mention that as soon as we arrived she gave us a detailed list of how WE had to do things in the hut right down to how to position the wood in the fireplace so we could not relax!!||When I complained and told her she had ripped us off because it was NOT worth the $250!!!!She told me that I was just a particular type of person omg!||I have lived and travelled all over the world and have not been in a place as dirty and uncomfortable as that so it was such a let down!||It definitely wasn't the romantic retreat that it had promised to be and to top it off in the morning when we hurried to leave as she didnt even provide a breakfast , she offered us a cheap hot pie or...

I last stayed at Tree Crop Farm circa 1998 with a partner and it was pure romance...this time round i stayed on my own as part of an ongoing process of grieving after losing my dear mother and it was the perfect elixir...don't expect hotel or motel type accommodation...this is an earthy return to nature with feral undertones...secluded candle-lit cabins, with pot belly fireplaces, fur be-draped beds and bouquets of scented herbs and flowers, perfectly positioned in a backdrop of native bush and in my case, beside a gurgling creek...throw in a menagerie of chickens, geese, wood pigeons and doves, a Border Collie so furry that his face is struggling to make an impact and an other-worldly cat named Forrest who materialises unexpectedly and fixes one with a knowing stare before disappearing again just as unexpectedly and its clearly apparent that youve landed in a utopian paradise...the cream on the Tree Crop cake is the owner Lynnie Alexander...she is a bonafide tour de force...be warned, she does not suffer fools gladly, but if you earn her respect, you will quickly discover that she is one of life's true characters...i only planned to stay a few nights, but i stayed longer such was the healing ambience of the place...i plan to return for more soulful nourishment before the end of 2021...long may you...