The Tui Room
One of two upstairs rooms, the Tui Room has a private balcony with outdoor sun loungers, and table and chairs. The balcony is built with maximum privacy in mind and is the perfect place to capture the sun.
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A BackStory to Lodge9
Jeroen arrived from Holland in the late ’80s, travelled NZ, and settled here in Ngunguru as the coastline touched his soul. He was taught to dive by legendary Wade Doak and started running dive boats out to the Poor Knights Islands.
Kate arrived back in the 1990’s, ostensibly for the weekend, but the coastline tugged at her soul too and she arrived in Tutukaka on a Friday and decided to stay longer than planned!
Both Kate and Jeroen worked and lived together for over 20 years, and have a passion and a love for the sea, this coastline, and their community.
Partners in life, love and business, it was a shock to lose Jeroen suddenly in February 2022. His hand is everywhere, (his big vision and her eye for detail) and Kate carried on their legacy of love, and giving back, until November 2025, after 24 years in the valley. Stan – the famous chocolate DoubleDoodle – helped welcome guests with them and made this building feel like a home.
Kate’s essence still remains, and in her words:
“A warm welcome to our Whare Aroha, a blend of staying at a friend’s bach and a boho boutique hotel – We have popped some of our original artworks in the building, and pretty much everything is made and placed with love. The number nine has a meaning of wisdom, peace, and tranquillity – in Maori they say iwa – and we hope you feel the special sense in the valley that we do.”
Thank you to both Kate and Jeroen for the generous loan of their amazing art.
Book NowKaitiaki of our Environment
Living and working in a place that touches your soul makes it an easy step to do all you can to look after it.
There is an old proverb that says, tell someone and they will forget, show someone and they will remember, but involve someone and they will learn. Conservation and acting as atawhai (guardians) to our environment is the cornerstone of everything we do. Coming from a marine background with Dive! Tutukaka and Perfect Day, our message is to change the world, one person at a time, and our team does that by showing them the wonders underwater in a pristine reserve, and opening their minds.
In Lodge9, we are on natural spring water from our own bore in the Valley, and also rely on rainfall. The water is triple filtered and UV filtered as well, and then an individual spring filter in your rooms. There have never been any harsh cleaning chemicals used since Lodge9 opened on Christmas Day 2016. We use organic cleaning products, oils, and essence, hot water and microfiber cloths, and good old fashioned elbow grease. Kinda proud of that! All products are ecostore, a local company with an international reputation for producing environmentally friendly cleaning products. We even wash the towels and linen with organic eco-store powder and fabric softener.
As Qualmark Gold operators, the ethos is deeply throughout our systems, processes and our people. We have a Light Footprint and deliver an environmentally friendly and holistically sustainable experience. You will be Safe & Sound where safe principles and practices are part of every experience. We give a Warm Welcome and you will always find a genuine welcome and true New Zealand hospitality.
We are members of the New Zealand Tourism Sustainability Commitment and have adopted the 4 commitments. Learn more here.
Our Tutukaka Story
As dedicated members of our community, we feel responsible for its growth and its future. To leave a legacy here of sustainable development, and of supporting pathways for community youth, is incredibly important to us, and we do this across all three businesses. We work closely with Ngunguru School, and every child will visit the Poor Knights and complete a Discover Scuba program to experience the underwater world that is their legacy.
The National Geographic Traveller magazine rated this Tutukaka Coastline as one of the top three in the world, saying, ‘Land-based and water-based ecotourism opportunities abound on New Zealand’s subtropical northern peninsula. The region currently boasts excellent environmental and ecology quality, and its Maori residents still cling to some aspects of their native culture.”
Tutukaka used to be known for its parrots and its puriri trees – hence the name cheeky parrot, or place to trap the parrot. “Tutu” meaning cheeky, or to trap/snare, and Kaka meaning the native parrot.
The Poor Knights Islands and the Tutukaka Coast are our turangawaewae, our place to stand. Tūrangawaewae is one of the most well-known and powerful Māori concepts. Literally tūranga (standing place), waewae (feet), it is often translated as ‘a place to stand’. Tūrangawaewae are places where we feel especially empowered and connected.
They are our foundation, our place in the world, our home.
