Kelly Bertrand checks out a tiny house in Arrowtown, Central Otago. Is it better than a traditional hotel?
They say that things can be small but mighty and look, as a gal on the shorter side of the height continuum I can heartily say I’ve used this line on a lot of things (pretty sure it was my lead line on Bumble for years back in my single days… maybe that’s why I was single for so long?!)
But you wouldn’t traditionally say that ‘small’ is a good thing when it comes to accommodation options. Space, square footage, sheer expansive floor plans are usually huge selling points for places to stay…
But as I’m lying in a literal tiny house – so small I could almost touch each side with my arms outstretched, I have to admit there’s some magic in the smallness.
Muddy Hill Moments
Staying away from home is one of me and my partner’s favourite things to do together. When you’re not at home you’re able to connect better and be in the moment more than when you’re at home and to-do list is ever-growing and the washing needs to be done and no one’s been to the shops and the ‘well, as long as we’re here, we might as well start on that outdoor painting job we’ve been putting off for three months’ kind of vibe.
It’s also fun, and special, and just makes us feel super-jazzed about life, so when we want (and can afford!) to something fun that’s just for ourselves, our default is to book a night away.
And while a lot of the time that defaults to a hotel, we’ve actually discovered that, sometimes, we prefer different types of accommodation – and now tiny houses are RIGHT up there.
What is a tiny house?
We’re staying in one courtesy of Tiny Away, an experiential accommodation provider (cool, interesting places to sleep, basically) that “strives to disrupt the current tourism accommodation model in an eco-friendly, sustainable and highly efficient manner”. Essentially, it’s a company that encourages people with space and land in regional areas to partner with them: Tiny Away provides the tiny house, the landowners provide, well, the land.
They’re for people who want an alternative, unique and environmentally-friendly accommodation experience, and handily for New Zealand, they’re plonked in some of the most picturesque parts of Aotearoa.
Which is how I’m currently sitting outside my said tiny house in front of a roaring fire pit, drinking a glass of Central Otago pinot noir, looking up at the hills that surround Arrowtown and just absolutely frothing life.
We’re at Sandy and Kevin’s place – Muddy Hill Moments – enjoying the platter Sandy’s put together for us as we watch the sun set against the hills (actually, the sunset is where the money shots are – it’s truly a glorious sight!).
This is the liiiiiiiiiiife etc etc
Muddy Hill Moments is a bit special – the tiny house (complete with gas-powered shower, kitchenette, heat pump and everything you need to stay cosy) is nestled on its own private gravel courtyard on Sandy and Kevin’s property, which is also home to a garden gallery you can wander around (you’ll figure out that they really like dogs) and also their main business, Old School Mechanical, where Kevin repairs vintage cars (it’s also a museum and if you chat to Sandy, Kevin will give you a tour which, even if you’re not into cars, is bloody amazing).
We’re staying for two nights and the location couldn’t be better – it’s private and secluded and tucked away (you’ll also see plenty of bunnies) with the private outdoor fire that we really took advantage to on our last night. One of our biggest tips if you’re really wanting a good stay away to re-connect with your beloved? Take the card game We’re Not Really Strangers with you – it’s one of our favourite things to do to have great, deep conversations with each other that you normally wouldn’t have.
The location of Muddy Hill Moments – 10 minutes’ drive from Arrowtown – means that we’re also super-close to everything else we want to do. We spent an afternoon at one my favourite places in the world, Ayrburn (order The Green Lady cocktail at the Burr Barr and thank me later) and we also, of course, stopped into Arrowtown itself for a pie and a coffee. If you haven’t been to Aosta and you’re keen for a fancy dinner, you simply must (order the kina pappardelle even if you don’t like kina and again, thank me later).
While you’re in the area, pop into a new-ish cellar door, The Church Cellar Door and Café – it has very generous pours, a great menu (apparently their carrot cake is famous) and boasts what might be the best space for chilling out outside if the weather’s nice – we’re talking an actual cricket pitch, sunken trampoline, lawn games, soccer balls, deck chairs and big picnic tables. It’s the perfect place to stay for a few hours with the family (and I had dreams of hiring it out for a hen’s do!).
For some reason while we were at The Church a bagpipe band was playing but we absolutely loved it
Basing ourselves in Arrowtown, rather than Queenstown, was different for us, but we couldn’t have loved it any more – and we absolutely adored the fact that the tiny house was about where we were, not the four walls of the accommodation, which is the whole point of schlepping it down to Central Otago in the first place.
Plus, the price point – Muddy Hill Moments is from $239 a night – is bloody incredible, especially when you think of how much a hotel room is in Queenstown, and what you get – space, views, outdoor fires – in the tiny house.
Give it a go – we’ll be back!
Kelly stayed at Muddy Hill Moments courtesy of Tiny Away
