Visitors to insect-themed nature experience "Earthlore" need no longer depart at dusk if they happen to fall in love with the little slice of Catlins paradise, thanks to the business’ sideways move into tiny house accommodation, which are made from sustainable materials in Christchurch.
Janine and Gordon Thompson founded the tourist attraction at Hinahina, near Owaka in the Catlins, in 2007.
Since then, the 4ha of rolling, bush-clad nooks and crannies have played host to thousands of schoolchildren, families and tourists curious to learn about the benefits of bugs — and meet Mr Thompson’s alter ego, Inspector Insector.
In common with businesses everywhere, Earthlore took a major hit from the Covid-19 lockdowns and border closures, leaving it largely to the birds and the bees.
That had led to some tough life decisions, and a "natural" evolution for the business, Mr Thompson said.
"Basically, visitors just dried up. We had to get supplementary jobs to keep things going, because we believe in what we do here; but we knew we needed to do something to diversify and future-proof the business side of things."
That had led first to an expansion into nature tour packages and, more recently, on-site, tiny house eco-accommodation.
"It’s something we’d been thinking about, as so many visitors have asked down the years why we didn’t provide accommodation.
The key had been to find a sustainable accommodation provider who married with the Earthlore vision.
"I stumbled on Tiny Away on Facebook, around May. They’ve been amazing to deal with, reflected in the fact we had the first of what will eventually be two tiny houses on site, by July."
Mr Thompson said Tiny Away made the low-footprint, high-comfort houses from sustainable materials in Christchurch, before transporting them around New Zealand.
Marketing and booking was shared between Tiny Away and hosts, as were profits, dividing the risk more equitably.
"It’s a great model, as we can work together to make this a success. The team has already proven the concept in Australia, and we’re proud to be among the first to host one here in New Zealand."
The new venture had already attracted interest.
"I think we’re primed to see a resurgence in tourism here in the South, and right across New Zealand."
