About this hotel
General information
Huka Lodge is New Zealand’s original luxury lodge and the model for everything that followed. In 1924 the Irishman Alan Pye pitched a handful of white canvas tents on the Waikato River for visiting trout anglers; in 1984 Alex van Heeren turned the camp into a lodge for the most discerning travellers, and Queen Elizabeth II stayed here four times.
The estate covers some 17 acres of parkland lawns and mature trees along the emerald river, just upstream of Huka Falls. Twenty suites line the bank, and two private cottages stand higher above the water. Interiors are by Virginia Fisher and the landscape by Suzanne Turley; the main lodge holds the dining room, a library, the River Room with its double-sided fireplace and a terrace with an open fire. Part of the Beckons collection, the lodge includes breakfast, pre-dinner drinks and canapés, a four-course dinner with matched wines and airport transfers.
Location
Taupō, in the centre of the North Island, on the banks of the Waikato River near Lake Taupō and upstream of Huka Falls. Taupō Airport is 15 minutes’ drive away, with complimentary transfers for the scheduled flights from Auckland and Wellington (about 45 minutes). By road it is around 3.5 hours from Auckland, 5 hours from Wellington and an hour from Rotorua; a helicopter from Auckland Airport takes about 1 hour 15 minutes and lands in the grounds.
Spa
Huka Spa sits within the Wellness Grounds, a leafy compound whose buildings borrow from the traditional Kiwi bach. There are two treatment rooms, a gym, a sauna, a contrast ice shower and an outdoor hot pool. Treatments use Verité, a New Zealand organic skincare line, alongside manuka honey, greenstone, thermal mud and kawakawa balm; the signatures are the two-and-a-half-hour Manuka Mawhiti ritual of exfoliation, full-body massage and facial, Aroha Goddess, the Huka Signature Massage and Awa Stone Therapy. The spa is best suited to guests aged 16 and over.
Sports & leisure
On site there is a tennis court (with a pro on request), lawns for pétanque and croquet, private yoga on its own lawn and bicycles, and trout can be fished on a catch-and-release basis straight from the lawn into the Waikato. The lodge arranges outings further afield:
- guided fly fishing, from casting lessons to an angler’s masterclass
- cruises on Lake Taupō to the Māori rock carvings at Mine Bay, and floatplane arrivals
- helicopter flights over Tongariro National Park, to Craggy Range winery and to Rotorua’s geothermal valleys
- golf at Wairakei, five minutes away, and at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Kinloch, 20 minutes away
- the Huka Falls Jet boat to the foot of the falls, kayaking and white-water rafting
- hikes including the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, and mountain biking along the lake
- bungy jumping, the Taupō Swing over the river, tandem skydiving and gliding
For children
Children aged 10 and over are welcome. Under-16s do not join pre-dinner drinks or dine with other guests; private family dining and babysitting are arranged instead. The four-bedroom Alex van Heeren Cottage works best for families and groups.
Restaurants & bars
The menu changes daily and never repeats during a stay, built on North Island produce: local beef and lamb, Tora crayfish, Mount Cook alpine salmon, pāua and kawakawa.
- Dining Room — the main room overlooking the Waikato, for a country-style breakfast and a four-course dinner
- Terrace — à la carte lunch outdoors beneath glass-roofed pergolas, beside an open fire
- Wine Cellar — an underground cellar of around 4,500 bottles, set for private dinners of 2–10
- bar and lounges — pre-dinner drinks and canapés, cocktails built on locally distilled spirits, French Champagne and Scotch whisky
Swimming
The grounds have a heated pool and hot plunge pools, and there is a further outdoor hot pool in the Wellness Grounds. Both cottages have their own pools and spa pools on terraces above the river.
Pets
Pets are not permitted.
Rooms
Twenty suites of two types line the Waikato, with two private cottages of two and four bedrooms. Interiors are calm and softly furnished, with floor-to-ceiling glass doors and verandas over the lawns and river.
Each suite has a gauze-draped canopy bed, feather pillows and a wool throw, a lounge, a dressing room, a bathroom with a deep soaking bath, heated floors and twin vanities, a river-view veranda and complimentary Wi-Fi.
Lodge Suite
A king or twin bedroom with a lounge, dressing room and a bathroom with a deep soaking bath; French doors open onto a veranda with a daybed and views of the Waikato. For one or two guests.
Lodge Suite with Fireplace
A suite under raked ceilings with a lounge around an open fire, a king or twin bedroom and a bathroom with a rain shower and a garden-view window; the veranda looks over the lawns to the river. For one or two guests.
Alan Pye Cottage
A private residence above the river with two king bedrooms, each with a fireplace, dressing room and bathroom, a kitchen and a vaulted living area with a fire and Māori artworks; the terrace has a heated infinity pool, a plunge pool and a spa pool, and the courtyard a pavilion with its own fireplace. Up to four guests.
Alex van Heeren Cottage
A cottage on a sunlit bluff with four king bedrooms (each with a fireplace, dressing room and bathroom), a kitchen, living room and den with open fires; the river terrace has a plunge pool and spa pool with views down to Huka Falls. Up to eight guests.
Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Actual room layout, furnishings, décor, views and amenities may differ from those shown and may vary between rooms of the same category. Hotel and room descriptions are based on information provided by the property and are believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but are not guaranteed. The hotel may renovate or change its rooms, facilities, restaurants and services at any time without notice. The final details of your stay are confirmed at the time of booking. See our Terms of Use.