Glamping

When we completed the new winery in 2013 the question arose of what to do with the old winery, where Colin and I used to make the syrah and viognier.

Now Simon makes that, to a much higher standard, in our new winery.

It’s such a lovely room, with vaulted ceilings, a kitchenette and separate toilet, and vintage wine posters on the walls, I didn’t want to just use it for storage. And we always need extra accommodation for friends and family. Some time ago, I bought this little beach changing tent from The Cotton Store to use when St Andrew’s ladies are have fund-raising fetes and selling pre-loved clothing. This little tent is great for customers to try on garments – if they can’t try, they won’t buy. So I got the idea from this cute little cotton beach tent to convert the old winery into a permanent glamping room, with two old-fashioned tents. Instead of dividing up this glorious space with walls, I would have tents inside. It took a whole year to complete this project. I couldn’t find second-hand tents so I had them made by Tent Town in Auckland, to the specifications and colours I wanted – sand and khaki  – then I had to get new frames made to hold them up because of course, inside, you can’t have guy ropes. And with one tent being accommodation for a double bed, we couldn’t have a centre pole. But now it’s complete, and it’s just fantastic.

Now I’m scratching my head working out how to make a nifty outdoor solar shower.