South Island Glamping In Kaikoura, New Zealand

Last Updated on 24th August 2023

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When you’ve been living in a campervan for over three weeks, it’s safe to say that you’ll be more than ready for a bit of luxury after sleeping in -6° temperatures, going to the toilet in a long drop and eating nothing but noodles and pasta for 21 days. That’s where the Glamping Hub gods and goddesses came into play and offered us the chance to stay in one of their luxury yurts in Kaikoura, New Zealand!

Don’t get me wrong; I very much love #vanlife, but when there’s an opportunity to spend two uninterrupted nights in a luxury yurt in the middle of nowhere, I certainly wasn’t going to pass up the chance!

Here’s what you can expect from a night of South Island glamping in Kaikoura, NZ with Glamping Hub!

Who is Glamping Hub?

Glamping Hub are one of the industry’s leading specialists when it comes to unique, alternative and luxury accommodation. As I mentioned before, Matt and I had only ever stayed in apartments, Airbnb or hotels (albeit luxury hotels when we’re feeling fancy!), but we’d never experienced the world of ‘glamping’.

In fact, before we started ‘living’ in a campervan, my experience with camping was virtually non-existent. However, our luxury stay in a yurt in South Island New Zealand with Glamping Hub totally exceeded all my expectations and I’m delighted to say that you need to book your next accommodation with Glamping Hub ASAP!

A luxury yurt, villas, treehouses, pods and more!

Glamping Hub offers over 35,000 unique accommodation options, all over the world. From luxury yurts to towering treehouses, barns, pods and domes, to lavish castles, sprawling villas, igloos and even towers (!!!), Glamping Hub has got you covered when it comes to the world of weird and wonderful accommodation!

There’s the chance to stay in treehouses in Bali and Thailand, rent a castle or villa in Italy or Greece and stay in ‘floating’ accommodation in Belize or Zambia; essentially, wherever and whatever you’re looking for, Glamping Hub can offer you the very best!

We were incredibly lucky enough to stay in one of the luxury yurts featured on Glamping Hub in Kaikoura, South Island New Zealand. Carry on reading to find out what you can expect!

South Island glamping – luxury yurt in Kaikoura

The yurt that we stayed in was part of the Wacky Stays accommodation rentals who not only offer the yurt, but they provide unique accommodation options in the form of an old train carriage, colonial Gypsy wagon and Tipi!

The owner of the farm, Kevin, greeted us upon arrival and gave us a thorough tour of our yurt and the surrounding farmland and told us what we could expect from our stay.

The luxury yurt that we stayed in is situated on a farm that is home to over 40 animals, as well as the three members of staff who help to run the farm and take care of the accommodations.

One incredibly fascinating and unique aspect of the yurt is that it was imported all the way from Mongolia; so it’s truly authentic and original!

Set upon a purpose-built, raised wooden floor, the yurt is also insulated with camel hair between the wooden panels surrounding the entire exterior of the yurt; meaning that it’s warm in the winter and cool during the summer!

While it’s to be expected that there would be a lot of noise considering we were on a farm, I really didn’t expect it to be quite as loud as it was on our first night. There was so much farm machinery running all through the night and there were constant noises coming from the sheep and cows.

However, our second night in the luxury yurt was infinitely quieter so I think perhaps we got unlucky on our first night and that the noise was just an anomaly.

Despite the noisiness of the farm, the yurt was located in a beautiful vicinity with sprawling fields and imposing mountains all around; it really was such a stunning place to stay!

Features of the luxury yurt – South Island glamping

The luxury yurt in Kaikoura comes equipped with a vast number of amenities, facilities and features.

• 3 beds (1 double, 2 single)
• Tea and coffee station inside the yurt
• Free WiFi
• Drinking water
• Exterior shower room with toilet and wet room
• Fire pit
• Pizza oven, BBQ and outdoor stove
• Electricity, hairdryer, electric blanket, heating
• Individual dressing gowns and towels for each guest
• Plus so much more!

Interior of the yurt – South Island glamping

The inside of the yurt was without a doubt one of the most cosy and beautifully decorated places I’ve ever stayed.

Intended for up to four people (with a double bed and two single beds), the luxury yurt is a perfect getaway for a couple, a family break or for a cute weekend getaway with friends!

The double bed

The double bed was located right in the middle of the yurt; giving you a great view of the entirety of the yurt in all its glory.

It was also full of cosy duvets, soft blankets and the absolute prize-winner; the electric blanket. Having never experienced the sheer joy and utter pleasure that comes with having an electric blanket on your bed, I was more than delighted to discover that it was essentially life-changing.

Even though the yurt wasn’t cold, having the electric blanket on the bed felt so novel and for a first-time user of one, I don’t know how I’ll ever sleep on a normal bed without one again!

The ‘brew station’

The ‘brew station’ as Matt liked to call it, was an excellent touch inside the yurt as it meant that we could make a cup of tea or coffee at any time of day without even leaving the premises.

There was also an array of cereal and a coffee press, as well as fresh milk, bread, butter and eggs in the mini-fridge underneath. This was such a lovely touch on the hosts’ behalf as there’s nothing we Yorkshire folk love more than a good cup of tea!

Kids’ beds

As well as the lavish double bed (complete with electric blanket and all), there are also two single beds inside the yurt. While they could definitely be used by adults as part of a friendship group staying in the yurt, the main demographic of the two single beds is young children, hence the stuffed toy animal and matching hot water bottle and dressing gown.

Again, this was another lovely and thoughtful offering by the hosts of the luxury yurt as it will inevitably make every single member of the family feel welcomed into their temporary home for a few days.

Seating area

The luxury yurt is also home to an adorable seating area, complete with enough seats for up to four people.

We didn’t use these an awful lot (primarily because we spent most of the time in the electric blanket watching It’s Always Sunny and the new season of Stranger Things!), but we did eat our dinner here on our second night.

While they weren’t the most comfortable seats in the world, they complimented the decor perfectly and were an ideal finishing touch to the interior of the yurt.

Fairy lights in the ceiling

Kevin (the luxury yurt owner) stated that the fairy lights were originally instated as a fun and pretty attraction for kids to enjoy but I can assure you that their magic wasn’t lost on me in the slightest!

They were the perfect addition to the yurt and made everything seem even more beatific and enigmatic; such a great touch!

The bathroom

The bathroom facilities of the luxury yurt were located in an outside building. The wooden hut is entirely for the exclusive use of yurt users only, so you can rest assured that you have total privacy when using the toilet and shower!

The shower was delightfully hot and a very warm welcome after living in a campervan and experiencing nothing but shared bathrooms in paid campsites (or sometimes going up to three days without a shower!).

The style of the bathroom was more of a wet room than a shower cubicle and while the floor of the bathroom became soaked after we’d used the shower, it wasn’t too much of an inconvenience.

The best feature of the bathroom however, was undoubtedly the macrocarpa bench that the sink was set upon. Furthermore, there were even free towels and toiletries to use, so even if you don’t bring your own, you won’t have to go without!

Exterior of the luxury yurt in South Island New Zealand

Spanning a 7m diameter, the luxury yurt is deceivingly spacious; especially considering how small it looks on the outside!

Also, the plain and simple decor of the exterior is nothing compared to the Scandi-esque interior. The yurt comes with various other amenities that guests are encouraged to use including the outhouse bathroom, an extensive outdoor cooking and seating area, as well as the surrounding farmlands.

Cooking area

The outdoor cooking area was something that I was a little apprehensive about at first, considering that we’d spent most of our cooking time over the last 3 weeks outside; I was kind of hoping for a fully blown kitchen.

However, I’m pleased to report that the “kitchen” posed no problems when it came to cooking outside; the weather was (mostly) pleasant and the stove, BBQ and pizza oven provided plenty of warmth anyway so we didn’t suffer from the cold too bad at all.

I loved the fact that there was a pizza oven, a BBQ and a gas stove so we had plenty of options when it came to cooking.

This was actually a very good thing as on our second night in the yurt, we were cooking sausage curry (one of our favourites!) and the gas canister ran out for the stove so we had to use the BBQ instead. Admittedly, it was a bit of a pain in the arse to cook a curry using a BBQ but it worked eventually!

There was also an antique toaster (the triangle thing in the picture above!) which, while it didn’t work quite as effectively as a normal, modern day toaster, was pretty cool and completely novel to use.

The “sink” was actually a metal bucket fitted into the wooden bench of the worktop which looked remarkably authentic and original but wasn’t all that practical for washing up, especially when combined with the fact that there was no hot running water, just cold.

Having said that, I loved the freedom of the space that cooking outside provided us with. Everything was so quirky and unique and incredibly charming and it perfectly complimented the yurt and the surrounding area.

The wooden bench inside the cooking area also provided an idyllic seating area for up to four people and while we did sit outside and eat here on numerous occasions, I bet it’s even more perfect on a warm summer’s evening!

Things to do near the luxury yurt in Kaikoura

Kaikoura is located just two hours from Christchurch and is a hub for all things nature and wildlife. While we didn’t get the chance to sample many of the things to do in Kaikoura, I have it on good authority from fellow travellers that these are some of the best things to do near the yurt in Kaikoura!

• Whale-watching tour – by cruise or by helicopter! I really wanted to do this but the tour was cancelled due to bad weather conditions when we were there!
• Llama trekking – the hosts of the Wacky Stays accommodations also offer llama trekking as well as their unique yurts, train carriages and wagons! Matt and I were also intending to do this, but at $69 a pop, it wasn’t the cheapest activity! However, I bet it’s a great family activity to do, especially during the summer!
• Pay a visit to the Lavendyl Lavender field.
• See how many seals you can spot on the drive into Kaikoura (we saw at least two dozen on our way into Kaikoura from Christchurch!).
• Swim with dolphins at Kaikoura Dolphin Encounters.
• Spend the day on Kaikoura beach!

Pin for later – South Island glamping

Would you like to experience South Island glamping in a luxury yurt in Kaikoura with Glamping Hub? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter @imjustagirl_16.