Golden Downs Lodge & Wilderness Guiding

Golden Downs Lodge was established in 1998 by the Cameron family. The land is the site of the old forestry village of Golden Downs, formerly the headquarters of the New Zealand Forest Service in the Golden Downs Forest. The Lodge, now one of the only buildings remaining from that time, was once the village hall.

Our aim at Golden Downs has been to create a place which will offer visitors a unique experience. The Lodge, the guiding that we offer based at it, and the weddings and meetings we hold here, are part of a broader enterprise based on the productive use of the land we have at Golden Downs, and the land that we have near by at Kohatu. Farming, Forestry, Cookery, Art and Education are pursuits we currently devote much time to. It is these activities, and a keen interest in all aspects of the world's workings, that we hope make the lodge a special place. The meals we present are often from food we have grown, or from produce that we source locally from our community of friends. The lodge is in an eternal process of gentle renovation, and much of the timber we use is cut from the trees on our land that are the Forest Service's legacy. The landscape is filling gradually with plants we have propagated in the nursery. As guides, our philosophy is that we are interpreters. Whether it be flora or fauna, geology or history, it is the detail and texture of our region that we enjoy introducing people to. We believe that travel is more important than tourism, and place great value on the exchange of cultures and information that occurs when people visit from far off places. We aim to be flexible. Please have a look around our site and feel free to contact us if you want further information.