Walk through the impressive English oak entrance doors to this iconic Great Barrier Island lodge, and you know you’re somewhere special.
Salvaged from the State Picture Theatre in Symonds Street in Auckland and as splendid now as they were then, the doors provided the inspiration for the design of Trillium Lodge, which has a pedigree that stretches from Canada to New Zealand and spans many decades.
Now owned and operated by descendants of the local pioneering Medland family from Great Barrier Island, the lodge at 24 Schooner Bay Road was built by Grant and Mary Haigh, who bought the 5.25-hectare coastal site in 1984.
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The doors, salvaged from the State Picture Theatre on Symonds Street, Auckland, were the inspiration for the design of Trillium Lodge. Photo / Supplied
It sits atop a ridge line overlooking the bays of Great Barrier, and the couple wanted to build a lodge there similar to those they had seen on islands in British Columbia.
Mary was from Ontario, and chose the name Trillium which is the native flower of that state.
Greenhithe architect Christopher Richards was selected to draw up plans based around the oak doors, and Caribou Creek Log Homes from Idaho in the US was chosen to build the house, using a method called chinking.
Local stone was used to build the surround and chimney for the huge log fireplace. Photo / Supplied
Trillium Lodge is named after the native flower of the state of Ontario in Canada. Photo / Supplied
Five men and their families from Idaho were brought to New Zealand for the build in the late 1990s.
Local stone was used to build the surround and chimney for the huge log fireplace, rimu was used for the floors and cedar tongue and groove on the ceilings.
The only cutting tools used in the log construction were four chainsaws and a small disc grinder.
The lodge has seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms, with unobstructed water views from almost every room. Photo / Supplied
In April 2014, sisters Lynda and Jo (formerly Medland) and their husbands Ian MacAlpine and Glen Findlay bought the property together with a vision to run it again as a place for guests, friends and family.
Lynda and Jo had been visiting Great Barrier Island all their lives, their great grandfather Thomas Medland was one of the first settlers on the east side of the island in 1865, and Medland’s Beach is named after the family.
The two couples had decided they were of an age to do something different in life.
Five men and their families from Idaho were brought to New Zealand to build the lodge. Photo / Supplied
The only cutting tools used in the log construction of the lodge were four chainsaws and a small disc grinder. Photo / Supplied
“We didn’t think we’d own it forever but at the time we thought: here’s a challenge for us, we can run it as a lodge again, make it better, and put our own touch on it.
“We loved the look of it and the aspect was fantastic with the views over the harbour.
“We could see it was a house that should be loved and shared and that was our big motivation.”
The huge dining hall has clear views to the sea beyond. Photo / Supplied
At 492 square metres, the house has seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a kitchen built to commercial standards, a huge dining hall and a sumptuous lounge with a magnificent stone fire, and there are unobstructed water views from almost every room.
There’s also an additional cottage in a sheltered private setting.
“We are sad to leave it but we knew there would come a time and it is now time to go and do less,” Lynda says.
The lodge is being run by two sisters and their spouses. The sisters are descendants of the local pioneering Medland family. Photo / Supplied
She and Ian are off to Sydney to be closer to their children and grandchildren, while Jo and Glen might embark on another project.
But they will retain some property on the other side of the island, and the links forged with Great Barrier over many years will remain.
Trillium Lodge at 24 Schooner Bay Road on Great Barrier Island is for sale by negotiation. Nadja Court of Barfoot & Thompson is marketing the property.
