You don’t have to drive far to unwind at a magic place. One hour from Tauranga lies a timber-framed barn aptly named housewithnonails. It’s a place with a story, run by a woman with a passion.
A chance meeting at a Tauranga shop introduced me to Jen Roberts, the bubbly host of a very special B&B in Waharoa. We clicked immediately. Soon after, I decided to spend two nights at her place.
A labour of love created this unique accommodation in the middle of paddocks with spectacular views to the foothills of the Kaimai Range. The house – Jen and Dewi’s home – was handcrafted using construction methods dating back to the 10th century. And, yes, indeed no nails were used in the timber framing, with the network of posts, beams, rafters and braces interlocked and secured by large, hand-hewn oak pegs.
“We were young, we had four children and no money, but we had a dream to live in the country,” says Jen. Then, in 1988, Cyclone Bola hit leaving a trail of devastation. Dewi, originally from Wales, had always wanted to build a timber-framed house. He realised there was this resource sitting in the fields in the shape of felled trees: $80,000 worth of timber, all free in return for cleaning up the mess. Thus Bola provided 25m3 of macrocarpa and poplar for the housewithnonails. All the timber was hand-hewn by Dewi in a neighbour’s workshop, with an old-fashioned community barn-raising of the frames in 1992. The Welsh words carved into one of the main beams, Pen Saer Loft, mean Master Carpenter’s Barn.
Three years ago Jen decided to turn their family home into a unique B&B. Five rooms on two levels offer spacious accommodation for up to 16 guests. Each room is different. The eclectic country-chic interior oozes a natural, handmade aesthetic with a mix of raw materials carefully curated to create an utterly interesting homestay experience. There is lime, wood and stone; concrete and copper; all complemented with furnishing dressed with linen, velvet and wool. Every room has braced handcrafted doors with forged ironmongery. “It’s a celebration of the beauty of raw materials”, says Jen.
“Sleep in rooms made of local trees. Feel the lime plaster. Smell the tannin. It’s sensual and soothing. We want our guests to feel at home, not like in a hotel.”
Jen loves to cook healthy, wholesome country fare and decorates the table with locally foraged foliage and flowers. She creates intimate candle-lit dinners for one person or groups, facilitating interesting conversations and memorable visits for guests. What she and many guests particularly enjoy – and what sets her B&B apart from other accommodation providers – is learning about each other. Often a culinary exchange at the table with international guests leads to a unique cultural exchange.
She is now dreaming of taking her hospitality to the next level: into the wild with long-table dinners by the river, in a paddock or the bush. “We have great local produce, and our natural environment provides a unique stage for unique food experiences,” says Jen. Just as natural and unique as the accommodation she provides, I conclude, and enjoy the view over the gently swaying grass of the paddocks surrounding the house.