New Zealand’s Farndon Cottage

I was explaining to my seven-year old son that it is summertime on the other end of the earth while we are in the depths of winter here. “Santa still visits there, he just has to change into his summer clothes.”

So I looked up some vacation homes in New Zealand to show him what it looked like on the bottom half of the world.

This tin-roofed little cottage in New Zealand caught my eye.

Located in the small town of Clive near Hawkes Bay on the North Island, this white historic bungalow is actually part of a larger estate called Farndon House.

The estate can be found at the end of an enchanted avenue lined with a type of tree of which I have never heard (Plane trees?)…

The rental cottage is small and simple; but the grounds where it is situated are filled with lush, mature gardens and flowering trees.

Enjoy the tranquility and birdlife; wander in the garden and along the river which bounds the property.

- from: http://farndon.co.nz/category/home/

Farndon cottage is self-contained with one bedroom, a sitting area, a bathroom and a kitchen. “A cosy [sic] cottage for two”

When winter closes in and the icy grip of bone-chilliness seems unshakable, it is comforting to think that there is summer somewhere on the earth.

And what a charming little place to spend a few idle summer days…

Nothing fancy, nothing too fine; just a simple place (with high-speed Internet available).

I would be marketing this cottage as a “writer’s retreat”; not a whole lot of fru-fru inside to distract, but lovely scenery outside when one needs a break from the printed page.

This is the only glimpse we get of the main house from the pictures:

But the rental cottage includes access to Farndon House’s swimming pool…

And of course, getting there is an escape in itself….

For more information see: The Farndon House website

Fun fact about New Zealand:

An offensive/beloved slang term for a New Zealander is “Kiwi”.

Kiwi refers to New Zealand’s native flightless bird, as well as the hairy brown fruit with the slimy green innards.

More fun facts about kiwi-land a.k.a New Zealand