St Omer Hide Away: Love At First Sight At Kenepuru

Accessible by car from Havelock (2 hrs) , by boat/water taxi from Havelock (25 mins) or Te Mahia or plane from Nelson or Wellington. Off-the-grid private home with beautiful views of St Omer Bay. IMPERATIVE TO READ OTHER THINGS TO NOTE & GETTING AROUND SECTIONS BEFORE REQUESTING TO BOOK. St Omer Hide Away now has a small generator based power system that includes solar panels and batteries. Everything is automatic but please read additional details in the Other Things to Note section. A DAY AT ST. OMER’S When you wake up on Day One, take a moment to take in the silence. St. Omer Hideout’s remote location is blessed with a deep, natural quiet. Every once in a while—maybe 10 or 15 times a day—you’ll hear a car winding its way down Kenepuru Road, but it’s a distant sound. (Though it's remote, St. Omer’s Hideout is not a place for loud music or parties. Sound does travel here and we want to preserve the quiet and be good neighbors.) Two of the bedrooms—one with a queen-size bed and one with a full— present show-stopping views of St. Omer Bay and Kenepuru Sound and balcony access. The third bedroom is kid-friendly with bunk beds and no balcony or water view. The shared bath, in typical New Zealand style, features a toilet (water closet) in one room and a sink and shower in a separate room.  Photos get you part of the way to understanding how dazzling the view is, but seeing it in person is a whole other story. Spend a few hours on the wraparound deck with a glass of local wine, blue skies above and jewel-tone water below, and you’ll be made new.   Open the retractable patio doors in the living area and let in the fresh morning breeze. Brew a French press coffee and cook up some local eggs in the modern kitchen. Side note: There are no stores or fuel stations in Kenepuru Sound, so you’ll want to stock up on groceries before you get here (or have them delivered). We provide some dry goods including paper towels and toilet tissue, but you may wish to bring some with you just in case. We will provide info as to how to order groceries online and have them delivered. Despite the home's remote location, there is a surprising number of things to do nearby. Sightseeing by water taxi. Mussel farm tours. Exploratory trips on the Mailboat. Sailing charters. Kayaking, fishing, biking (and many other verbs). Hiking the Queen Charlotte Track. Golf at Nopera. Scenic flights via Pelorus Air. Try to make it back in time for sunset on the balcony. But if you miss it, don't worry—the sunrises are equally awe-inspiring and will be waiting for you in the morning.  Entire home and grounds. There is one bathroom in the home, or rather two rooms - one with a toilet and a separate one for the sink and shower. These are not shared with anyone other than you and your guests. Quiet, remote location. Sightseeing by water taxi, mussel farm tours, exploratory trips on the Mailboat, sailing charters, kayaking, fishing, biking, hiking the Queen Charlotte Track, golf at Nopera, scenic flights via Pelorus Air Effective March 11, Kenepuru is reopening to holiday home guests. The road had been restricted to residents only since historic rainfall in July 2021. By Car - Access by car is 2.5 hrs from Picton or Blenhiem and 3 hrs from Nelson. 2 hours from Havelock. By Car/Water Taxi from Havelock – there are a couple of options to come by water from Havelock. Kenepuru Water Taxi - $200 minimum for up to 4 people one-way. He can drop you at the St Omer jetty and then you can walk the rest of the way to our place. (For a less expensive option drive a little bit further to Te Mahia - see below.) Or catch the Pelorus Mailboat - takes 30-45 minutes. Car/Water Taxi Combo from Te Mahia - $68 minimum for 2 adults. Note driving to Te Mahia is only 45-50 minutes from Havelock and you can save quite a bit off the Havelock transport price. There is free parking at the Te Mahia wharf and can be picked up there. Kenepuru Water Taxi can drop you at the St Omer jetty and you walk up to our place. Car/Water Taxi from Picton - take two water taxis and a short van trip over the land bridge. If you're arriving in Picton on the ferry and don't want to drive out, you can take a combo of two water taxis and a short van ride. Cougar Line Water Taxi or Arrow Water Taxi can take you to Torea Bay, then Pete from Kenepuru Water Taxi will meet you and drive you over to the other side in his van and then drop you at the St Omer jetty via his water taxi. Cougar and Arrow are booked separately and those should be booked directly with them first. Book on Kenepuru Water Taxi after you've booked the Picton leg. Please INQUIRE first, rather than a request to book. Sometimes it takes more than 24 hours to confirm the availability of a cleaner. St Omer Hide Away is off-the-grid, relying on a small, generator-based system that also includes solar panels and batteries for continuous power. Because the system is small, it is best if you can be gentle on the consumption. Lights, the refrigerator, and electronic device charging constitute minimal power load and should be available to you without incident. The bathroom heater, microwave, oven and electric tea kettle place a much higher load on the system and should be used independently if possible. This means if you have multiple people in the home who are showering and using the bathroom heater, and also using hair dryers, while at the same time someone else is using the oven or microwave, you could put a strain on the system. There is more likely to be an issue at night or on a very cloudy day when the batteries and generator would be supplying all the power. Since the system was completed in February there has been only one incident. No shops or fuel stations in the Kenepuru Sound. There is no trash service, so it is critical that you take your trash with you when you leave. There are several pay trash stations along the route back to Havelock. Groceries may be delivered by mailboat from Blenheim with prior arrangements. Steep driveway – 4WD necessary if you’re driving and want to park at the landing outside the house. (You can park down the hill at the property entrance.) Note if you do not have 4WD and therefore cannot drive up, you will have to walk up. The drive is gravel and not suitable for walker-type equipment. You can arrive via your own boat but we do not have a mooring. You can also arrive via water taxi from either Havelock or Te Maria and they will drop you at the St Omer jetty which is a 5-10 minute walk from our entrance.) Pets welcome with additional $85 pet fee per pet; 1 pet max without prior permission before booking. The first pet can be paid for at the time of booking by indicating you are bringing a pet. (Similar to number of adults and children.) If a second pet is approved there is an additional $85 pet fee for the second pet and this is billed separately after booking via the Resolution Center.