About Te Mata Lodge

Te Mata Lodge was built in the 1960s as a church youth camp.  Over the years it has changed hands and directions a few times, most recently in 2003 when it was purchased by the current owners, Warwick and Kathryn Reed

The previous owners had made some major changes, particularly converting the original “lodge” – the meeting room with communal kitchen/pool table/open fireplace and lounge – into their family’s home.  This freed up the home for another self-contained unit – the two bedroom cottage.

When the Reeds purchased the property, the tourist accommodation aspect had stalled.  So in addition to breathing life into the business several renovation were made – the building of the indoor/outdoor kitchen, the conversion of cabins into lounge rooms, re-painting and redecorating units, the development of walking tracks, native bird trails, orchards, picnic areas and the building of two chalets.

The owners see Te Mata Lodge as a “work in progress” so if you have any ideas of how it can be improved, please chat with them about it.

About the Owners

Warwick Reed, born in Otorohanga and educated at New Plymouth Boys High, trained to teach in Hamilton in the 1960s.  After several years teaching in King Country schools he went overseas – first to Australia, but then worked and travelled in South Africa, South and North American for thirteen years.  He worked in many different jobs, including teaching in Durban, shepherding in the Falkland Islands, Assistant Director of the Research Station on the Galapagos Island and tour guiding through the Andes.

Kathryn was born in Southern California, educated in Los Angeles (Woodland Hills) and went to UCLA and graduated from UC Berkeley in the early 1970s. Warwick and Kathryn met through a mutual friend in San Francisco in 1982.  She was working in financial management before they married and moved to New Zealand in 1983 to set up a kiwifruit and nashi orchard in Otorohanga.

After eleven years developing the orchard in Otorohanga (including as well, the birth of two children, Kathryn’s training to be a secondary teacher, Warwick part-time teaching to augment orchard earnings) they decided to sell up and move to the Far North.

They bought a home in Ahipara at the base of 90 Mile Beach and taught English (Kathryn) and Science (Warwick) at Kaitaia College for eleven years.  When their children went off to university, it was again time for a change and they looked around for a project to focus their energies and imaginations, something which would ease them out of teaching and hopefully set them up for retirement.

Te Mata Lodge seemed to fit the bill, and they moved in December 2003.  Warwick taught at Coromandel Area School for one year in 2004, and Kathryn is still teaching at Hauraki Plains College in Ngatea.  Since living at Te Mata they have become involved in the community.  Warwick is a volunteer firefighter in the Tapu Fire Brigade and is active in the Thames Coast Protection Society.  (Monitoring kiwi living the bush in Te Mata Valley – listen for them at night, as they have been some spotted locally).  Kathryn is Board of Trustees chair of the local Tapu School.

What Kathryn and Warwick are up to when they are not at Te Mata Lodge!! Warwick in action at the Tokoroa Fire Camp 10/09 Kathryn at Junior Prizegiving12/09

They love living on the Thames Coast, and enjoy sharing Te Mata’s idyllic and peaceful qualities with our guests.

Please let them know if there is anything they can do to make it more pleasant.  As the saying goes “If everything is good – tell your friends.  If you don’t like something – tell them!”

Boo and Berry, fox terrier sisters,
born in October 03.

We hope you decide to stay at Te Mata Lodge.

Kathryn and Warwick Reed