Glow Worms & Birds - Mount Tutu Eco-Sanctuary

What a lovely stay with Tim and Debbie! My sister and I booked a get-away from Auckland and we were delighted with the stay! A cosy room, all recycled materials, lovely guided bush walk in the morning as well as guided glow worm tour in the evening....not to mention breakfast included along with the insightful, warm and funny banter with Tim on the tours. Debbie even made us cupcakes on arrival. We had a great stay and already planning our next visit with more family!

I stayed here for 3 nights with my 5 and 7 year old kids. We had a wonderful time and felt so close to nature, a million miles away from the hustle and bustle. Yet we were only 30 minutes from Tauranga so there were plenty of day trip options.The glow worm tour was amazing, I'm so glad the kids stayed up late enough to enjoy it - beats the Waitomo experience by miles. The animals and the 'enchanted' woods were magical. My kids fell in love with the goats and the chickens.Tim and Debbie are so knowledgeable and thoughtful. The breakfasts were fantastic, as was the banana cake on arrival!Thank you for sharing your home and hospitality with us!

Tim and Debbie made mine and my sisters stay for 2 nights so enjoyable, as they are so friendly and really hospitable! We were welcomed with freshly baked cupcakes. We did a morning nature tour it was really enjoyable and highly informative. The daily complimentary breakfast was fantastic! There was a delicious assortment of cereals, fruit and yogurt plus fresh eggs from their own chooks and bacon and toast. Perfect way to start the day. A huge highlight for me was the glow worm tour on New Years eve! A sight to behold! Was stunning and so interesting at the same time. Highly recommend!

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay with Tim and Debbie at Mount Tutu! We actually stayed here in June 2011, but we've been busy so didn't get around to writing reviews from our trip until now. Mount Tutu is only a 15-20 minute drive into town, but when you get back to your private cabin, it feels like you are a world away, with nature at every turn. Tim and Debbie took us on a fantastic night hike to see glowworms right in their backyard... How cool is that! The next day, they lead us through another part of their property, where we really got to enjoy some of the native flora that New Zealand has to offer. We even got to meet their awesome sheep. We stayed two nights, and wished it could have been longer. Can't wait to return!

Tim and Debbie were excellent hosts - friendly, welcoming and very knowledgeable about the area. The property is complimented with some landscaped paths and plants and the contrast of natural bush. A very peaceful environment. The glow worms were an interesting nature experience with a bonus of supplied head lights. Was great to interact with the animals. We appreciated the lemon muffin on arrival nice touch. Well done you 2.

Tim and Debbie were excellent hosts - friendly, welcoming. We stayed for 2 nights with our kids aged 8yrs and 4 yrs. The beds were comfortable and the glow worm tour was an interesting and amazing nature experience. It was great for our kids to interact with the animals and feed them. The forest walk in the morning was incredible. We really enjoyed our stay and we highly recommend Glow worms & Birds-Mount Tutu Eco-Sanctuary.Thanks Tim and Debbie for your awesome hospitality.

I went with my girl (9yrs) and we loved it, it's rustic but in the very best way (the rooms are clean, small but they have everything you need). We had a get away, a trip back to nature, and the simple life. We enjoyed exploring, the bush walk and night excursion to see glow worms which was just magic. Breakfast really set us up for the day (the kitchen is basic but it has a microwave and hotplate, there's a bbq outside) and my girl developed a passion for chess in the common room. Tim and Debbie were lovely, informative and always on hand if needed but at the same time they just left us to it. How do you say thank you for memories, the special kind that my girl will always have. That's the true gift we've been given one that will last a lifetime.

We can highly recommend the eco-sanctuary. Tim and Debbie are delightful and very welcoming. The beds and accommodation were comfortable, with a yummy breakfast. I stayed with my boys aged 8 and 12 from Australia and we loved wandering around the property and enjoyed the bush walks. The highlight was the glow worm tour. Thanks for being so great with the kids. It was true Kiwi hospitality!

Tim and Debbie were excellent hosts - friendly, welcoming and very knowledgeable about the area. They even served us freshly made banana cake on arrival and made us feel very much at home. The woodland is beautiful and the whole environment is so peaceful - a true sanctuary from the busy outside world. The glowworms were fantastic too.

We had a lovely stay with Debbie and Tim, who went out of their way to make it a great experience. We had the family room with a very comfortable and homely lounge/mini kitchen adjoining and a good bathroom. As there is no tv the kids had a great playing board games and enjoying each others' company. The glowworm walk was very exciting and we had a great walk around the fam and bush in the daytime too, with Tim sharing his extensive knowledge. I would highly recommend this experience to get Kiwi kids out into nature and off screens! Wonderful stay and very close (15/20mins?) to Tauranga for beach/city time if needed.