Luxury Lodges · The Wellness One
Split Apple Retreat
Abel Tasman, Nelson
A wellness retreat cut into the coast above the Abel Tasman’s golden bays.
The Lodge
Split Apple Retreat sits above the coast at the edge of the Abel Tasman, at the sunny top of the South Island, named for the cloven granite boulder (Tokangawhā) that sits just offshore. It is the most wellness-minded property in our portfolio, and one of the most architecturally considered.
Built by its owner, a doctor, the retreat pairs a small number of suites with a spa, a lap pool and health programmes that can be as serious or as gentle as you wish. The setting does much of the work: golden beaches, clear water and native forest in every direction.
We use Split Apple when a journey wants restoration rather than activity — a few days of walking the coast, kayaking the bays and being properly looked after, at the warm northern end of the South Island where the weather is kindest.
The Practicalities, Honestly
The Nights It Deserves
Three. Wellness rewards more than a passing night, and the Abel Tasman deserves a full day on the water.
Who It Suits
Guests wanting a reset (spa, quiet, clean food); walkers and kayakers who like their wilderness gentle and warm. Couples over groups.
When To Go
The Nelson region is the sunniest in New Zealand. November to April is reliably golden, and the Abel Tasman’s water warm enough to swim.
Getting There
A short flight from Auckland or Wellington to Nelson, then around an hour by road to the coast.
From Our Notes
What twenty-five years of placing guests here has taught us
01
The suites are all sea-facing; ask about the wellness programme in advance so the kitchen and spa can be set to your intentions rather than a generic menu.
02
The Abel Tasman is best entered by private water taxi or kayak — a guided day along the golden beaches, with a swim and a picnic, far from the day-walk crowds. We arrange the private version.
03
This is a place to slow down; guests who arrive planning to press on usually wish they had given it another night. Build it in.
How We Place It
Split Apple opens or restores a South Island journey at its northern end, paired with Marlborough’s wine country an hour east, or used as the gentle recovery before the drama of the high country and Fiordland further south.
Split Apple Retreat, placed properly
A lodge is only ever one piece of a journey. Tell us what drew you here and we will design the days around it: the right nights, the right season, the right hands.
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