Guesthouse Riverside Homestead (Russell, New Zealand)

About Riverside Homestead

Orongo Bay Homestead is well-known as the First American Consulate in New Zealand, dating back to the 1860's. Today the impressive, fully-restored, two-storeyed wooden Homestead is an exclusive, historic country residence with fine wine and renowned bespoke cuisine reserved only for guests. Sequestered in 15 acres of lawns, native bush and certified organic gardens, it looks across the waters of New Zealand's subtropical Bay of Islands towards the Waitangi Treaty grounds. Judged in the top three lodges/boutique hotels in New Zealand (NZ Tourism Awards) the Homestead discreetly includes wifi and every modern facility. Accommodation is in 3 rooms beside the pond, each with a separate entrance from the gardens: the Teal Suite, named after the world’s fourth rarest duck, the native Brown Teal or Pateke, that breeds on the pond; the very private waterside Retreat with heated terracotta floors, full free-splash ensuite and overwater decks; and the airy, lofty Pacific Room with its elevated treetop and wildlife views. Across a small lawn the Homestead itself has a high-ceiling guest lounge leading to a large verandah opening onto the sweeping lawns and shade trees populated by songbirds.