This Floating Tiny Cabin Is The Ultimate City Escape The Ark at Cottle Hill Creek is just 5 minutes from Kerikeri village and just over 3 hours drive from Auckland. Located in Kerikeri, Northland, New Zealand the tiny house is available to stay in and just a short drive to many of the Bay of Island and Northland sights. This vacation rental is a great spot to explore this stunning region from. The Ark is a unique and beautifully decorated, floating houseboat. It sits peacefully in a corner of a small private lake on a 16-acre farmlet complete with goats, sheep, ducks, chickens, pigs, and horses. The Ark houseboat is docked alongside a wharf where a nearby willow tree provides a cool outdoor living space and a tranquil place to BBQ, sunbathe, read, relax, or enjoy a cool drink on a hot day.
Inside the Ark is a small but perfectly formed space with a luxurious open floor plan and well-equipped kitchen, dining, and lounge area, and bathroom. There is an incredibly comfortable queen-sized bed that is accessed via a ladder in the loft. There is a small wood burner that is lovely to cozy up in front of during winter. The Ark houseboat is a beautiful and unique accommodation experience. It’s off-grid, self-sustainable, and provides an escape from the stresses of the city. During your vacation stay, you might row or kayak on the lake, take a walk around the property, bird watching, or visit the animals.
You’ll enjoy listening to the sound of the kiwi that has recently moved into the area. During open fire season, guests of the Ark are welcome to collect wood and build a fire in the pit outside the Ark. There is pioneer cast iron cookware which is provided to enjoy a unique outdoor fire cooking experience. There is also an array of birdlife to enjoy. Sometimes you can spot wild turkeys, quail, peacocks, and pheasants around. There are also many beautiful native birds such as fantails, tui, and kererus to be seen.
The Ark came to be when the owners who grew tired of city life made their escape to a stunning rural property in Northland, New Zealand. The land they purchased was unique and had a beautiful spring-fed dam which they have used to float a stunning tiny house cabin on pontoons. The tiny cabin building looks right at home on the artificial lake, which was drained to allow the floating tiny house to be constructed in-situ, and which was then filled up again. The water is pure, fed from a deep underground spring, and is now home to fish as well as some very friendly ducks.
There is a small deck that joins the tiny cabin to the land, which has a lovely entertaining area and provides some additional outdoor living space for the family, as well as their BnB guests. It’s also the ideal launching pad for kayaks and a small rowboat to enjoy some extra time on the water. The tiny house construction is mostly similar to a cabin which would be constructed on land but does have some boat features such as a bilge pump which transfers the greywater from the home onto a dispersion field on the land which helps to irrigate crops.
