Whakaipo Lodge

We recently took a trip around the North Island of New Zealand, during which we stayed at Taupo for two nights at Whakaipo Lodge. In all our years of travel, our lodge experience was one of the most genuine we've had. Staying with Angie and Garth made us feel as if we were visiting lifelong friends, rather than people we'd just met. Their friendly greeting and wealth of knowledge on Taupo and its surrounds was without par. The afternoon tea they served us on our arrival was just enough, and very tasty! Our room was a well-equipped wonderful peaceful retreat, with a lovely verandah from which you could see the native bird life which also called the Lodge their home. In all the time I was in NZ, I had the most restful sleep at Whakaipo Lodge. The food and beverages at the lodge were marvellous. Angie is an extremely accomplished cook, with her canapes resulting in me making some notes to take home. Garth's selection of wines to accompany our meals and our canapes was on the mark, and the wines themselves stunning. We ate both nights at the lodge, with Angie and Garth providing a sumptuous four course meal with accompanying wines for our first night. Trust me you will not go hungry; in fact we had to take our home-made truffles back to our room. The second night was a pizza of choice and a glass of wine, and this was more than enough, given the canapes that preceded the pizza. Breakfast each morning is a mix of continental and cooked breakfast, and this is not to be missed. If you go away from breakfast still feeling hungry then you haven't tried hard enough! We have stayed in some amazing places in New Zealand, including other lodges which commanded a much higher price point. I would highly recommend Whakaipo Lodge for anyone who was looking for a lovely break in Taupo.

Just wonderful. We had planned to visit much earlier but various things got in our way. So the warm welcome from Angie and Garth was a great start to our stay. Angie's inspired breakfasts set us up each morning and evenings finished in front of the lounge fire with a drink in hand. Garth's sharing of the local history, geology and enterprises threaded through our many conversations. We also came away with some of Angie's culinary secrets. This brief but memorable R&R was what we had been looking for.

Visiting the Whakaipo Lodge was pure delight. From Garth's welcoming hello and welcome canapes and wine to Angie's delicious breakfasts, our stay at their beautiful lodge was surely a highlight of our visit to New Zealand. They went out of their way to make us comfortable and accommodate our travel needs. We only wish we could have spent more time there and hope to have the pleasure of visiting with them again one day.

Superb Lodge, amazing place with tasteful rooms. Garth and Angie are fantastic hosts who take excellent care of their guests. They cook a fantastic breakfast and dinner. Angie is a great cook. This place is a must stay when you visit the northern part of New Zealand. We definitely would recommend you to stay with Garth and Angie.

The hospitality and the food are second to none. Angie and Garth are fabulous hosts and you certainly leave feeling like you have new friends in the world. Angie is an accomplished cook and the home made bread and spreads at breakfast are a delight, as are the tasty nightly canapes served with a lovely selection of wine. or craft beer The coffee on arrival was also very welcome and the cooked breakfast was delicious. Convivial conversation around the fire in the communal lounge with other guests was a surprising highlight. Our room was very comfortable and we slept very well.

Garth and Angie's hospitality is second to none. We received a very warm welcome and treated to some of the most delicious home cooked restaurant quality food that we have eaten, along with beautiful wine to match it. The Lodge is beautiful.

We had a wonderfull time at the Whakaipo Lodge. Angie and Garth were great hosts and know how to spoil the guests. We felt like real VIP’s. The breakfast was gorgeous with a lot of homemade food made by Angie. At 6 pm we were offered a very nice glass of wine and beer. Angie had made delicious canapé’s which made the moment perfect. During the drinks we were able to meet the other guests in the livingroom with a nice fireplace with real burning wood. They both explained us which and where the interesting places were, so helpful! The room itself was well equiped with its own entrance and a lot of privacy.

Our trip was a gift from my husband's work colleagues for his retirement. He also has a terminal illness and we already had to cancel back in early December with minimal notice, but Angie & Garth were amazing and kept our booking on hold till he was well enough. On arrival we were greeted with big hugs and shown around their beautiful home and garden before settling in our very comfortable room. Such a relaxing atmosphere, sitting outside looking over their beautiful garden, sheep in the distance. Both nights we had a range of canapes (with smoked trout a special treat)and drinkies in their beautiful cosy lounge, with roaring fire. The food was magnificent, all beautifully homemade by Angie, what an incredible cook. The dinners, pizza to order, best I have ever tasted (my last pizza was in Venice) on the first night and salmon with veges from their garden on the second. Garth not to be forgotten, was a whizz on the barbecue and a guru on the wine choices. After each meal we had exquisite chocolate truffles filled with plums or cherries from their garden. Breakfast, cereals, home made muesli, home made pastries,croissants and bread...we had no room for the cooked breakfast. On our second day we went out on an amazing boat trip around the western side of Lake Taupo with Ian from TaxiCat Adventures, we had the whole boat to ourselves, such a treat. Angie even sent us with a chilli-bin of pastries, fruit and Ginger Beer, which we had on one of the beaches we stopped at after visiting all the waterfalls. Fabulous hospitality and great advice on where to go. We had a lovely afternoon watching the rapids at Aritiaia and a visit to Lava Glass. They even managed to put on 2 days of blue skies (it rained all the way home)! I would highly recommend a visit to Whakaipo Lodge for anyone who is looking for timeout, a bit of pampering, idyllic surroundings and only a short drive to Taupo town centre, but feels like the middle of nowhere. 10/10 for everything. Thank you so much Angie & Garth, you have no idea how special our visit was. Lots of Love Margaret & William xx