- Fran and Daniel Huelsmeyer are selling their eco-lodge in Kaiteriteri due to the challenges of managing it from Northland.
- They transformed the lodge into an eco-friendly retreat with a magnesium pool and sauna.
- The couple now focuses on their successful tiny home business, Ruru Tiny Homes, based in Kerikeri.
Tiny home champions Fran and Daniel Huelsmeyer are selling their much bigger eco-lodge, which is nestled deep in the bush and comes complete with an easy-on-the-skin magnesium pool.
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The couple, who are originally from Germany, have decided to put Kaiteriteri Ridge Retreat, in Tasman, on the market after the strain of running it from their home in Northland became too much.
Fran and Daniel told OneRoof they had always wanted a place where their children could run free, and so they bought a bed and breakfast business at 370 Kaiteriteri-Sandy Bay Road, in Kaiteriteri, in 2016 for $1.5m.
The Huelsmeyers dreamed of a life in New Zealand’s great outdoors. Photo / Supplied
They quickly set about turning it into something special, but the Covid lockdown and subsequent drop in tourism numbers derailed their plans.
Speaking from their home in Kerikeri, Fran said the couple had pivoted into building tiny homes from their new base, and were now looking to sell, noting that it was no longer feasible to run the lodge from so far away.
However, she said the family had loved their time there. “I loved the fact my children could grow up there, running barefoot out of the house into the native bush surrounding with no risk to them but splinters,” she said.
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She said the couple had enjoyed transforming the B&B into an eco-friendly operation. “The swimming pool we installed is a magnesium pool which is good for your body and gentle to the skin, and doesn’t need those massive chlorine inputs, which give the kids red eyes,” she said.
“The spa is magnesium-based and the sauna is operated on firewood sourced on the property. Lots of little things like that made it special for us.”
It was during the Covid lockdowns that the couple developed the idea to create some tiny homes and rent them out on Airbnb. They got resource consent to add three to four tiny homes to their lodge, but before they got to test their idea, they got offers from people looking to buy their tiny homes. Their business, Ruru Tiny Homes, has since delivered more than 150 tiny homes to customers across New Zealand.
The Huelsmeyers ran the property as an eco-lodge before Covid derailed their plans. Photo / Supplied
The family upgraded the property in 2019. Photo / Supplied
The Huelsmeyers moved to Kerikeri to be closer to a new construction yard they had opened in Whangarei, and while they managed to rent out the seven-bedroom lodge to groups, running the property from Northland was exhausting.
“The tiny home business is keeping us very busy. Daniel and I currently live in one of our tiny homes, with four children and a dog. What better testimonial can you find?”
Fran added: “Selling the lodge is breaking my heart. My two younger children were born in Nelson. They have such fond memories of the place that it brings tears to my eyes that we are selling it but we have to be realistic. We don’t travel to Nelson often enough to justify keeping it as a holiday house.”
But there were plenty of options for a new buyer, Fran said, highlighting its appeal to large families and the fact it could be divided into two properties or turned into a bed and breakfast again.
Listing agents Nadia Hay and Ged Hay, of New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty, describe in their marketing the property’s 360-degree views of Tasman Bay and its private setting.
“Meticulously renovated in 2019 with unparalleled attention to detail, this residence stands as a testament to exceptional craftsmanship. For those with an adventurous spirit, the remarkable Abel Tasman National Park beckons with its myriad hiking, kayaking and boating opportunities,” their listing on OneRoof said.
- 370 Kaiteriteri-Sandy Bay Road, Kaiteriteri, Tasman, is for sale by negotiation
