Blackfern Lodge - Blackfern Lodge 1731 Ongarue Stream Road

Great place and great hosts. Couldnt be more helpful. Fun and a very special piece of NZ. Loved the timber trail. Also enjoyed the meal at the end of a tough day.

Absolutely superb location for overseas and NZ travelers or groups. Bedding, towels provided. Very easy to find at night. Although the roads are not sealed, they are well maintained. As for the accommodation: A1. This place is immaculate inside and out and does our country proud. Whoever maintains the grounds deserves a medal! Its warm in winter, it has everything but food. There are a few short and long walks. Bikes and a bar downstairs. I'm not sure how that works though. Non of us drink so never went down stairs. I plan to take the family back here. It's worth it!

A touch of luxury at the mid-point of the timber trail. We bought the Totara package, 1 day/1 night with transfers and meals Loved our room, loved having the en-suite. We were at the Forge which has the spa pool and is a short hop, skip and jump to the waterfall. So nice to refresh the body in the waterfall and then into the spa, then have a nice hot shower in your en-suite My bed was super comfortable and I had one of the best sleeps I’ve ever had in my life. The lodge is gorgeous, plenty of hang out places, there’s an honesty bar if you forgot your beers and wines Dinner was a beef stew with cheesey potato bake and cheesey vegetables and chocolate slice for dessert. Breakfast was cereals, yoghurt, fruit plus eggs on toast and spreads. Plus there’s tea/coffee/milo and real coffee beans and plunger for the coffee snobs like me!! My packed lunch was ham and salad ciabatta bun, muesli bar, jet airoplanes and peanut/raisin scroggin Water - the lodge is fed by a spring so the water is delicious and plenty of it for showers and to fill your bottles Once you hit the 35km mark it’s still 7kms to the lodge off-track. Those 7kms are difficult, not gonna lie - but the woods are beautiful and IMO it’s the most scenic part of day ones trail. Just be mindful for day 2, although you get a ride up the hill with your bikes in Bush Lokey - it’s 12kms to the start of day 2 trail. So make sure you have plenty of time on day 2 or that you are a fast rider. The other accommodations are starting pretty close to the 42km mark so have a big advantage over you. This didn’t bother me at all though. The private room with en-suite, the waterfall, the spa and hot showers totally made up for it. Would 100% stay here again.

I 100% loved this lodge and definitely will go here again. The lodge is a nice touch of luxury at the mid point of the Timber Trail. We purchased the Totara Package, 1 day/1 night/transfers and food. I loved the lodge and loved my room with ensuite. The lodge is really quiet, there's plenty of hang out spaces and most importantly an honesty bar if you forget your beer and wine. Although, you can send a chilly bin with your luggage. I was at the Forge Lodge which is a hop, skip and jump from the waterfall. It also has the spa and ensuite rooms. It was so lovely and refreshing to dip in the waterfall, then into the spa with a cold beer - then a lovely fresh shower in the ensuite with plenty of hot water. The forge also has eels and ducks to feed. My bed was super comfortable and I had one of the best sleeps I've ever had in my life. The other guests staying at the lodge were really friendly, some of them had drinks at the fire brassier. I went to sleep early but I didn't hear the guys at all because the property is huge. My catered dinner was beef stew, cheesey scalloped potatoes, cheesey vegetables and a piece of chocolate slice. It was such a huge and generous portion we had to share with the other guests and I ate my chocolate slice for breakfast. Breakfast was cereal, yoghurt, fruit, eggs, toast and spreads. There is also communal tea/milo/coffee and real coffee beans with plunger for the coffee snobs like me!! My packed lunch the next day was ham and salad ciabatta bun, peanut and raisin scroggin, jet aeroplanes and a chocolate muesli bar. Water - the lodge is serviced by its own spring so there is plenty of gorgeous natural water for your bottles and hot water for showers. Just bear in mind that on the first day the lodge is 7kms off-track at the 35km mark. Its a difficult 7kms but IMO this part of the ride is the most scenic of the day and definitely a highlight. The woods are beautiful, quiet and peaceful so because of this it didn't bother me at all. Plus you have the waterfall, spa and hot shower to look forward too. The other lodges and campsites are located just off the track at the 40km mark. However, the next day you get a ride up the awful hill in Bush Lokey, but you are still a good 8 or 9kms off the starting point for day 2. And then day 2 starts with a very steep hill climb from the 44km to the 50km mark, from memory .... so you do need to make sure you have time for this or ride faster. But once you are at the 50km mark its all an easy ride with 2 x 10km's downhill runs that are fantastic!! Once you get back to the Flashpackers, you can buy a cold bottle of DB Draught if that's your thing.

The most beautiful setting, wonderfully presented. Hosts Mark and Rachel went the extra mile to make sure we enjoyed our stay and went home happy. They are clearly hard workers who are committed to highlighting and sharing the wonders of this very special environment. Gorgeous home-cooked food, comfy warm beds, immaculate accomodation with loads of quirky character and history. Will definitely go back, if I can!

My husband and I stayed here as part of the timber trail. The property is awesome and Mark and Rachel very helpful and friendly. The waterfall was a real treat after a 42km cycle ! . The property is off the beaten track but that only adds to the adventure. There's heaps to see on this property including feeding the trout ! and then plenty of room and facilities to chill with a relaxing vino watching the sun go down.

If doing the timber trail this is definitely the place to stay!! It is a must see for your self. Great family friendly stay. Awesome hosts very friendly. Good food and cold beers or wine after a fantastic ride.

Such a beautiful and unique spot. Gorgeous grounds and really cool, quirky accommodation and dining area. Delicious food and all of the amenities you need in the morning to make yourself some coffee etc. Pretty waterfall, walks and scenery. Really lovely hosts who go out of their way to make your stay pleasant, including helping to fix my husband’s pedal on his bike. The spa is soooo good after the first leg of the trail too. 10/10 would come here again.