Upgrade of the Second Bed.
25 April 2017
We have just installed a Queen size tilt down wall bed with a super luxurious Sierra 2 mattress, brand “Askobed” . This is a significant ‘upgrade’ for the second couple or third person who will use of the ‘second’ bed in the lounge. The days of Guests using the sofa bed are over, as it’s good bye to the old and in with the new!
The sofa bed had been satisfactory but the improvement has meant our Guests now have the convenience of a real bed, which can be put away into the cabinet without having to re-make it each day. It no longer occupies floorspace during the day, and is easily lowered when they are ready to sleep. Perfect!
We had always felt that the second couple got a second rate deal, and that the couples should ‘choose straws’ to determine who got the bedroom with it’s king size bed. But this is no longer the case and they also have the advantage of a fabulous bush view from their bed. Can’t wait for the Guests to be impressed as much as us!
Cancellations mean we are available in April 2017 after all
27 March 2017
Due to 2 cancellations, Bush Sand and Sea B&B has become available again in April 2017. We would welcome new enquiries and will work hard to tailorise your stay.
Now available this Friday 13 and Saturday 14 January
Due to a late cancellation, we are now available this friday 13 January and Saturday 14 January. Make the most of a summery friday night down at Bethells Beach, enjoy the great food on offer from the Bethells Cafe, plus live music. This Friday its Johnny and the Cashtones. Cancelled if wet.
Freshness of spring with burst of new blooms and bird activity!
1 October 2016. SPRING! Best time of the year, in my opinion.
In between the showers of rain, there are great moments to be had out here and in the Bethells Valley. 9 years ago, as the Unit was being built, I planted a clematis seedling off the rear deck, and tied it, as it grew taller and taller, onto the kauri tree. Well i did know that kauri trees don’t like things growing on them (they are epiphyte intolerant), and it kept throwing the clematis off! Luckily the five finer and coprosma next to the kauri didn’t mind…the result, it is now flowering for the first time ever! HOORAY!
Plus all 3 of my clematis babies on the driveway are also in full bloom. I can look our across the valley from my tale and see spots of white clematis and the yellow of the kowhai trees, also madly blooming. The kereru have decimated our 2 young kowhai in our mitigation planting area (never pays to be early flowerers), but luckily all the others are now out too.
The Tui birds are also very feisty as they spar and compete for good partners. Lots of activity out here and only 1 free weekend in the whole of October which is the last month to use out “stay 3 nights for the price of 2” policy for the off peak season.
Electric car has arrived and free charges for EV Guests
4 July 2016
We were so excited to receive our Gen2 Leaf in January and I completely forgot to post about it. lol. We love it and getting an electric car is definitely the right thing to do. Everything lined up: great deal from the wonderful Autolinks Cars in Grey Lynn, Auckland (https://www.facebook.com/autolinkcars/timeline); time for Alan to research and match our needs and wants to price and availability. It felt good to select a car, wait a couple of weeks for it to arrive off the boat, and know that Autolinks are so concerned that we still felt the choice was right, that even up to the day of collection, we could still have changed our mind. I have never met a car Dealer Owner like Henry and staff, Sarah. We went through a learning curve, almost like learning to drive a car all over again, because you need to think about our driving range (estimate only of km “in the tank”) and the route. Folk talk about ‘range anxiety’ but we quickly got over that. Long trips definitely need a 100% charge and carefully plotted route. An 80% charge is enough for most of our usage and we reckon it costs us $2.50 for 100km of travel! We can also now advertise that any Guest staying here, with their own electric car, can re-charge for FREE!
Beautiful fly-over video
Exciting happenings at Bush Sand and Sea B&B. We were approached by a local company to fly a drone up and over the B&B, to give people a birds-eye-view of the Unit itself. We thought it would be helpful to show where it sits on our 10 acres of native bush, its proximity to our home, (a common question from prospective Guests), and it clearly shows the 2 distinct buildings, separated by a garage. We like our peace, quiet and privacy too! It gives a lovely view of the valley with its lush regenerating rainforest. The distortion of its 360 lens makes the beach look far away. We are 7 mile ‘as the crow flys’ and hence made our name “Bush Sand and Sea”. It was designed to be descriptive- we are IN the “bush”, which you are surrounded by, you look out over to the “sand” and beyond to the “Sea”. We are not AT the sea. People can and do enjoy walking there in 45 minites, or drive in 10 mins. It gives our Guests the privacy while being the ONLY GUESTS here, and not amongst a cluster of cabins!
The drone didn’t pick up the spa nor our track, so we added some stills taken down the track just this week. Check out our revitalised website, PLUS new video link on www.bushsandandsea.co.nz These drones are amazing and cute and we are thrilled with the effort of this budding company.
Unfortunately I missed the action, but arrived in time to see their shining faces, (hot day and they had just come back up the track), their eyes brimming with enthusiasm. The video is now on our Home page.
Plenty of food for native pigeons
16 March 2016
The Kereru, NZ pigeon, are busily feeding on the fruit of the cabbage tree on the rear deck of the B&B. The building was designed to accommodate the tree as a feature of the rear deck. It is currently fruiting, so for a precious 1-3 weeks, at this time of year, the kereru can be spotted right outside the unit on the rear deck. They are so clownish. They are clumsy birds, swoop in gracefully and land with a clatter onto the bush. They will hang upside down, edge along the fruit spikes, trying to reach every ripe berry. They frequently drop off and have to fly up and off, then returm for another try. I think this is such a special time of the year.
They eat fruit from about 70 species of plants but are the Only bird which can swallow whole the fruit of mata, miro, tawa, puriri, taraire and karaka. These seeds can be the size of a 20 cent piece. These forest giants rely on the kereru for their survival as the birds consume the fruit and disperse the then fertilised seed.
I took these pics on monday this week, while cleaning the glass of the bifold doors.
An electric car for Bush Sand and Sea
18.1.2016
We decided to buy an electric car this year, a Nissan Leaf.
We feel so passionate about Climate Change and decided to commit not just words to the cause, but funds to purchase a car. This is a personal commitment to reduce our CO2 emissions.
Something we feel passionate about at Bush Sand and Sea B&B.
It is due any day. Watch this space!
Due to late cancellation
21/1/2016
A late cancellation has meant that we are available for 5 days, January 24-28 2016. Checkout our calendar on the Rates page and be in quick! This has opened a window of opportunity for someone else. Minimum stay is 2 days.
Coming soon: Our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
I’m quite excited. We have been developing a FAQ section to add to our website, designed to answer, (hopefully) all those little questions our Guests have. Over the years, we have noticed both a pattern AND a unique-ness to things Guests would like to know when they are considering coming here. We pride ourselves on trying to ‘personalise’ each stay, as required. So, keep watching! Please send us any feedback on this section when it arrives, especially if you still have questions. Tell us what you want to know to help make your stay more enjoyable. Thank you.