- Tara Wrigley and Guillaume Gignoux’s Raglan property features popular Airbnb listings, including a treehouse and a bus.
- The properties, offering ocean views and outdoor baths, range from $150 to $300 per night.
- The couple is selling the off-grid retreat to gain more freedom and visit family in France.
What started as a way to make ends meet has grown into one of the country’s most popular Airbnbs, with people from all walks of life booking the cute treehouse or bus at 380 Whaanga Road, in Raglan, to make their childhood dreams come true.
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Tara Wrigley told OneRoof that she and her partner, Guillaume Gignoux, built an off-grid four-bedroom, two-bathroom family home in 2012 when they were expecting their first child together.
The young family needed some extra income, so they decided to put the house-bus parked on the property on Airbnb in 2015 to see if there was a market for it.
“We were just a young family trying to make ends meet, and we decided to rent out the bus first,” she told OneRoof. “People loved it, and suddenly, it went from a couple of nights a week to back-to-back bookings. People were coming every single day to the bus – we were just blown away. It just gave us a little bit of extra income that we needed to help us survive out there.”
A few years later, the couple had the idea to build a treehouse at the property. One of their guests, a woofer from England, had experience and lent a hand. “That was a pretty crazy project. Quite fun,” Wrigley said.
The Treehouse was a hit – even more so than The Love Bus.
Guests have to climb the ladder inside The Treehouse to get to the loft bedroom. Photo / Supplied
The Love Bus was awarded Airbnb’s Best Unique Stay in 2023. Photo / Supplied
“When [guests] are booking, they are like, ‘OMG it’s always been my dream to stay in a treehouse’ or ‘It’s always been my husband’s dream’.
“It’s such a great magical space to be in. We stay there now and then to remind ourselves how cool they are.”
Both properties regularly feature in Airbnb’s top 10 New Zealand properties, and The Love Bus was awarded Best Unique Stay in 2023.
The couple added a third property, The Love Nest, in 2017 after they had the chance to buy the block next door, which had a small cottage on it.
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The nightly rate for each property, all of which have their own bathroom, outdoor bath and ocean views, ranges from $150 to $300.
“We get all kinds of people coming – people in the cheapest little cars up to people arriving in $200,000 BMWs,” Wrigley said.
“They come from everywhere. We have a lot of Australians that pop over as well. They work it into their dream trips.”
The fact there's no mobile or internet is a selling point for travellers who want to disconnect from the world and couples seeking a romantic getaway. “It’s incredible how you can reconnect with each other when there’s just the two of you, and there are no distractions.
The main four-bedroom, two-bathroom house with pool is completely off-grid. Photo / Supplied
The wetback fireplace heats the water in winter, and the sun heats it in summer. Photo / Supplied
All of the Airbnbs have a sea view and an outdoor bath on the deck. Photo / Supplied
“And that’s the feedback we get. People are just like, ‘OMG, you’ve honestly helped us reconnect’. We have people coming back year after year after year.”
However, with two of Wrigley’s children having left home and the couple’s daughter now at high school in Hamilton, Wrigley and Gignoux have made the “heart-wrenching decision” to sell their off-grid retreat.
Running the Airbnbs had been a big commitment, Wrigley said, and they wanted freedom to do other things, including spending more time in France visiting Gignoux’s family.
Moving to an off-grid home had been a big learning curve for their family, she said. “I’m a person who likes my luxuries. I don’t want to take cold showers, so it just took us quite a while to figure out how to make it work.”
The couple have engaged Bayleys listing agent Mark Frost to sell the property, which has an RV of $2.232 million.
Wrigley said: “It’s for nature lovers; it’s for people looking for a change in life and they can have a consistent income.”
- 380 Whaanga Road, in Raglan, is for sale, deadline closing August 28
