Beech Bach Beachside Haven Including Car

Beech Bach is a spacious tiny home. Guests love the inlet views, coziness, privacy, quietness, wildlife, & quirkiness of our 1 br bach. Includes car (T&C apply), & transfers. It's only 1.2km from the village - there's a couple of hills. The kitchen has lots of supplies & equipment. Gas hob, fridge with icebox, dishwasher, electric frypan, slow cooker, & drinking water filter. TV & Starlink WiFi. The loo is in the laundry accessed via semi enclosed porch. Fold out bed on request. Charges apply. The space Last minute bookings. These are possible but due to prior commitments in transferring guests to other properties from ferry or flight, you may experience a short delay in check-in. Please liaise with the manager. Beech Bach is a traditional beachfront tiny house (bach or crib) that doesn't feel so tiny. Many people will only visit Stewart Island once in their lives. Most people don't know what to expect beforehand. It is extremely important to us that all our guests enjoy their stay and know what to expect from their accommodation in a bach/crib/cabin, so please read this description before booking. If there is anything at all not up to standard please let us know as soon as possible. We are committed to the best stay possible. ACCESS - 22 steps from the road/car park. Please make sure you can carry your luggage up the steps. MAIN SPACE -10mx3m - kitchen, living area, bedroom and shower room. TOILET and LAUNDRY- attached to the main building and accessed through a semi-enclosed covered porch area. Sensor lights switch on and off automatically at night. CAR-The car is available on the condition it is re-fuelled on departure or arrangements made to cover the cost of fuel if the garage isn't open. WIFI-Starlink CELLPHONE- limited at the bach. Spark usually works close to the front window. Vodafone is sometimes better and sometimes not. Usually, reception for both is available on the road by the boat ramp. VIEWS- It has superb views across Paterson Inlet and a golden sand beach just across the road. BED- queen size The bed is elevated (step provided) for storage underneath and the view out the window. It has electric blankets. It has a wool duvet and a feather duvet and a selection of pillows. SECOND BED - a large single portable fold out bed is available at a one off $50 extra charge if two people are staying and do not wish t share the bed. This includes bedding, linen and a mattress topper for comfort. Please message on booking if this is required. If this is for a third person it is $100 extra per day. HEATING -diesel heater in main building. All windows double glazed. Windows facing the road have blinds. SUPPLIES- a range of teas, coffee (plunger and instant);basic cooking supplies (oil, seasonings, flour, sugar, milk, herbs and spices, soy sauce, vinegar) TOILETRIES - good shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, hand wash and shower gel TV - Freeview and DVDs. PICNIC PACK - a small day pack with blanket and picnic utensils. PRIVACY - We have one neighbour who is a fisherman. He's often away. Owners have a small sleepout further up the hill and may be on site but will be as discreet as possible. Windows have tint - easy to see out hard to see in. WATER - is rainwater collected from the roof. 1mm of rain =30 litres of water. Drinking water is filtered. LAUNDRY - There is a washing machine available. Due to the need to conserve water and limited drying ability we ask that guests don't bring laundry to the island. LIGHTING - It's dark. The island is a Dark Sky Sanctuary. Please do not leave outside and laundry or toilet lights on at night. These disturb wildlife and affect viewing of aurora and night skies. There are outdoor sensor lights on timers on the steps and in the entrance, and a torch with red covering for kiwi spotting. AURORA AUSTRALIS - It is mostly unpredictable. However, if you plan a trip with the best chance to view winter nights are longer, check the moon phases the darker the sky the better. Check out these Apps. Glendale, Aurora Australis and Spaceweather Live. SEAFOOD - local cod, mussels, salmon and sometimes crayfish are available at the South Sea Hotel. The Kai Kart does mussels and cod and may cook your catch. Fishing charters are available. 4 Square has frozen cod. FOOD & DINING OUT- the local 4 Square has a good range of supplies although can be limited seasonally. If you have any special requirements we suggest you bring them. The 4 Square and Hotel both have alcohol available. The South Seas Hotel has dining in the restaurant and bar. We recommend booking. The Kai Kart has takeaways and outdoor seating. ACTIVITIES - the island is busy over summer and traditionally quiet in winter when many operators take a break. We recommend checking any particular activities for availability and booking. MEDICAL-There is a first aid kit supplied and a nurse on the island. If you use supplies from it such as band aids please replenish. There is no doctor and no hospital. Emergency care may require helicopter evacuation. WILDLIFE - Dolphins,;sea lions;Tawaki, Korora penguins; sea birds - gulls, terns, albatross; bush birds including tui, kaka, kereru, piwakawaka, koromiko, kakariki, miromiro and kiwi have all been seen from the bach. SMOKING AND VAPING - Please don't smoke or vape inside. Extra cleaning charges may apply. ALCOHOL - guests are welcome to BYO. There is a selection of glassware, fridge with icebox and ice tray, and a corkscrew. Please take the screw caps off empty bottles before recycling. HISTORY -The original bach/crib/cabin was built around 1940 and renovated in 2016 in keeping with the history and nautical theme while adding modern facilities including a flush toilet and heating. HAZARDS - please take care on the steps especially in the dark. The lights come on but may take a few seconds. They work on heat as well as movement so it you are well rugged up your body heat may not be detected. Removing a hat should do it. There is a torch with red cover for wildlife spotting. While the diesel heater outlet is legally the correct distance from opening windows we do recommend keeping both the bedroom and living area windows closed when the heater is running. Sea lions. They are about. They are big, fast and can be aggressive if provoked or cornered. They stink at close range. BREAKAGES- accidents happen. If you break something please let us know so that it can be replaced or fixed. We reserve the right to charge should damage be intentional, negligent, malicious or inappropriate use. We renovated in 2012-16 installing a toilet, heating, kitchen, laundry, hot water and shower. We were constrained by council regulations and the size and layout of the building. As everything has to come from the mainland and be carried up the steps, we have re-used and upcycled some of the original fittings and features as well as a number of "treasures" (or old junk) in ways they may not have been intended - make sure you read the rudder in the loo. Island electricity is diesel generated The island supply is under pressure so your assistance in reducing demand is appreciated. Lights are LED. Heating is diesel. Hot water is gas. This extract from WIKIPEDIA explains much about the traditional Kiwi bach. A bach (pronounced 'batch' /ˈbætʃ/) (also called a crib in the southern half of the South Island) is a small, often modest holiday home or beach house in New Zealand. Baches are an iconic part of the country's history and culture. In the middle of the 20th century, they symbolized the beach holiday lifestyle that was becoming more accessible to the middle class.[1] Baches began to gain popularity in the 1950s as roads improved and the increasing availability of cars allowed for middle-class beach holidays, often to the same beach every year. With yearly return trips being made, baches began to spring up in many family vacation spots. Etymology Bach was originally thought to be short for bachelor pad,[2] but they tended to be family holiday homes. An alternative theory for the origin of the word is that bach is the Welsh word for "small" and "little". The phrase "Tŷ Bach" (small house) is used for outbuildings. Sizeable populations of Welsh miners relocated to New Zealand during mining booms.[citation needed]. Construction Post-World War II They are almost always small structures, usually made of cheap or recycled material like fibrolite (asbestos cement sheet), corrugated iron, or used timber.[3] They were influenced by the backwoods cabins and sheds of the early settlers and farmers. Other baches used a caravan as the core of the structure and built extensions onto it. Many cities were dismantling tram systems in the 1950s, and old trams were sometimes used as baches, most noticeably on the coast of the Coromandel Peninsula on the Firth of Thames, to which more than 100 trams were relocated. A reconstructed example of a typical bach from the 1950s can be found in the National Maritime Museum on Princes Wharf in central Auckland.[4] The period-furnished bach is complemented with an adjacent beach shop with original products from that time. While older baches tend to be fibrolite lean-to structures, modern kit-set buildings are becoming popular among bach owners. Some figures estimate that more than 50,000 baches exist around New Zealand (population 5.1 million people). Recent times Early baches rarely enjoyed amenities like connections to the water and electricity grid or indoor toilets. They were simply furnished, often with secondhand furniture. Legal status Old baches often have "existing use" rights under the 1991 Resource Management Act in areas where newer planning regulations would not allow even such modest residential or part-time residential buildings.[5] As such they are quite prized, even though authorities typically look unfavourably on proposals to convert them into full residential buildings. Guest access Guests have full access to the entire bach and all appliances. (Except washing machine in times of extreme water crisis) Stewart Island relies on rainwater. When tanks are full we are happy for you to do a wash if necessary. When water supplies are under stress we ask you to wait until you get back to the mainland. Due to limited drying ability (humidity is often quite high) we do ask that you don't arrive on the Island with laundry to do. Thanks for understanding. Owners occasionally stay on site in a sleep out further up the hill. If we are there we are as discreet as possible. Other things to note There are some challenges to providing services on the island. Please be mindful of the remoteness, the weather, the challenges of getting supplies in and waste out, and the availability of services including wifi and cellphone. All the linen is shipped in and out for laundering on the mainland. All supplies and materials are shipped in and waste shipped out. Island electricity is diesel generated and about 3-4x the cost of mainland. Petrol and diesel are shipped in and about 50% dearer than the mainland. Most of the time the TV works and most of the time there is cellphone/mobile data/wifi reception. Sometimes there isn't. This is atmospheric and service provider related. It's an island thing most residents and businesses are challenged by. If wifi doesn't work the library hotspot might. Petrol is more expensive than the mainland and the garage hours may necessitate a guesstimate of the fuel used and arrange for payment. If you are concerned about overpaying please leave your bank account # and we will refund if necessary. We do our best to keep the car clean and dry & your assistance is appreciated. The front windows can be left open a few millimetres but please don't leave the back windows open. Please note the car has a foot operated parking brake. Please ensure it is fully disengaged before driving. Check-in (after 2 pm unless agreed with manager) and check out (10am unless agreed with manager) - we endeavour to get guests checked in early, checked out late and/or use of the car. However, if we have back to back bookings and you arrive on the island before check-in time or depart after check out time we can arrange for luggage storage while you explore. If you check in early, occasionally there may be maintenance tasks being completed by the owners.