Founded as a row of canvas tents on the trout water of the Waikato, a kilometre above the Huka Falls.
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Overview
Nineteen Twenty-Four
Twenty-five suites and two cottages across seven hectares on the river.
An Irishman named Alan Pye pitched white canvas tents along the Waikato in 1924 because the trout fishing here was the best in the country, and that is how Huka Lodge began. It became a luxury lodge in 1984 under Alex van Heeren, and remains the benchmark against which New Zealand lodges are measured. Twenty-five suites and two private cottages sit across seven hectares of riverbank; the Alan Pye Cottage, named for the founder, has its own pool, outdoor dining and a dedicated chef and butler. The river runs emerald blue past the lawn, and less than a kilometre downstream it forces itself through a volcanic gorge and becomes the Huka Falls.
Dinner moves each night. The lodge sets dinner in a different place every evening — the wine cellar, the riverbank, the trees. You are asked in the afternoon where you would like to eat.
1924
Founded as a Fishing Camp
25
Suites
2
Private Cottages
7ha
of Riverbank
Suites
On the Riverbank
Suites set along the water, and two cottages with their own staff.
River Suite — Huka Lodge
01
Every Suite on the RiverThe suites are strung along the Waikato, each with the water in front of it.
02
The Alan Pye CottageA private pool, outdoor dining, and a dedicated chef and butler for the cottage alone.
03
Fully InclusiveBreakfast, pre-dinner drinks and canapés, dinner and a replenished minibar are all included.
04
Seven HectaresLawns and mature trees between the suites, so the lodge never feels close-packed.
Experiences
The Volcanic Plateau
Trout water, thermal ground, and three volcanoes an hour south.
Water
Huka Falls
The Waikato squeezed into a gorge, moving 220,000 litres a second, a kilometre away.
Fishing
Trout on the Waikato
The reason the lodge exists, fished with a guide from the bank or a boat.
Lake
Lake Taupō
A caldera the size of Singapore, and the Māori rock carvings on its cliffs.
Thermal
Craters of the Moon
Steam vents and mud pools on an active geothermal field.
Volcano
Tongariro
The Alpine Crossing, an hour south, and the best day walk in the country.
Air
Helicopter to the Peaks
Over the volcanoes and the lake, landing somewhere with no road to it.
Dining
A Different Table Each Night
A daily-changing menu, a serious cellar, and a new setting every evening.
01The main dining room, with a menu that changes daily
02Riverbank, cellar and garden settings, chosen each afternoon
03A wine cellar of premium New Zealand and international vintages
04Pre-dinner drinks and canapés served on the lawn
Riverside Dining — Huka Lodge
Location
On the Waikato
North of Taupō, a kilometre above the falls.
On seven hectares of the Waikato riverbank, just north of Taupō.
Less than a kilometre upstream of the Huka Falls.
Ten minutes from Taupō Airport; roughly three and a half hours from Auckland by road.
An hour north to Rotorua, and an hour south to Tongariro.
Fly
Auckland, then a short domestic flight to Taupō.
Drive
Ten minutes from Taupō Airport to the riverbank.
Arrive
Check in, then walk the lawn down to the water before drinks.
Taupō
The Lodge the Trout Built
Canvas tents in 1924, twenty-five suites now, and the falls a kilometre downstream.