What to Expect from a Stay at Blake House

What to Expect from a Stay at Blake House

Blake House is Poronui’s exclusive-use private villa — Nestled peacefully away from the stresses of the outside world.

There is a moment, somewhere on the winding road into the Taharua Valley, when the noise of the outside world simply fades away. No traffic. No city hum. Just the sound of the wind through beech forest, the low rush of the river below, the occasional sika deer roaming by. By the time Blake House comes into view, sitting high on its promontory above the Taharua River, most guests have already started to exhale.

That is part of what makes Blake House so unique. Not just the seclusion, but the particular quality of stillness that comes from being somewhere that was designed, from the ground up, to be entirely yours.

The House Itself

Blake House is a generously proportioned private villa: four equally designed master bedrooms, each with its own ensuite and a private sun room with breathtaking views, plus two well-appointed bunkrooms for children or additional guests. The house accommodates groups of up to 16 people, making it equally suited to an intimate family escape or a larger multigenerational gathering.

At the heart of the house are two expansive lounges with soaring cathedral ceilings and open fireplaces — the kind of rooms that invite people to settle in rather than pass through. There is a well-equipped kitchen, a dining space built for long dinners, and a cosy library and den for quieter hours. Outside, a wide lawn stretches from the house toward the valley, with uninterrupted views in every direction.

The interiors are finished to the same standard you would find in any of Poronui’s finest spaces — premium linens, thoughtful furnishings, and a consistency of detail that runs from the master bedrooms through to the bunkrooms. Blake House was built for groups where everyone matters equally, including the children.

Full-Service or Self-Catered — Your Choice

Blake House offers two ways to stay.

The full-service option is exactly that: a private chef who handles every meal, a dedicated hospitality team, and daily housekeeping. Breakfast is ready when you want it, dinner is something to look forward to, and nothing falls to anyone in the group to organise. Poronui’s kitchen draws on the produce of the property and the wider Central Plateau region — expect food that reflects where you are, prepared with the same care that runs through every corner of the estate.

For groups who prefer to make the house their own on their own terms, a self-catered option is available. The kitchen is well-equipped on arrival. It is the kind of arrangement that suits families who want to cook together, or groups who simply want the freedom to keep their own rhythm.

Both options include full access to the Stables Complex — Poronui’s on-property facilities hub, which houses a full-sized antique English billiard table, sauna, steam room, gymnasium, and spa treatment rooms.

The Setting: 16,000 Acres to Explore

What separates Blake House from any other private villa in New Zealand is what lies beyond the front door.

Poronui’s 16,000-acre estate stretches from river flats to high country, through indigenous beech forest, across open farmland and into genuinely remote backcountry. More than 150 kilometres of trails and tracks run across the property, and the Taharua River — one of New Zealand’s most protected waterways — runs below the house.

For guests staying at Blake House, this landscape is not a backdrop. It is the activity.

• Horse riding ranges from a two-hour ride across the river flats to a five-hour explorer trek through native beech forest. Poronui’s horses and guides are matched to riders of all experience levels.
• Mountain biking covers the full breadth of the property — from accessible valley tracks to more demanding high-country routes, with e-bike hire available for those who want to cover more ground with less effort.
• Walking and hiking can be as gentle or as ambitious as the group wants. Guided half-day and full-day hikes take guests into parts of the property rarely visited, including forest trails and elevated viewpoints that most New Zealanders will never see.
• Fly fishing on the Taharua and Mohaka rivers — both held under National Water Conservation Orders — offers some of the finest wild trout fishing in the Southern Hemisphere. Guided days on the water, and heli-fishing into even more remote reaches, can be arranged as part of any stay.
• Clay bird shooting, archery, and air rifle are available at Poronui’s shooting facility for those who want something more structured.
• The Story of Bees is a guided journey through Poronui’s Manuka honey operation — from hive to harvest — that has become one of the estate’s most quietly memorable experiences.
• The wine cellar — an intimate underground dining space surrounded by over 10,000 bottles — is available for private bookings, tasting menus with wine flight, and special occasions. It seats up to 20 guests and is a natural setting for a group dinner that no restaurant could replicate.

Beyond the Property

For guests who want to venture further, Poronui’s team can arrange a handful of experiences that make excellent use of the surrounding region.

The Hawkes Bay wine country sits within easy helicopter range — one of New Zealand’s most celebrated wine regions, known for its Bordeaux-style reds and world-class cellar doors. Poronui can arrange a guided heli-winery day on your behalf, with knowledgeable staff on hand to help shape the itinerary. It is a natural fit for groups who want something special away from the property, and the contrast — backcountry wilderness in the morning, vineyard lunches by the afternoon — is hard to beat.

Taupo itself, approximately 40 minutes by road, offers a different kind of day out. The town sits on the edge of New Zealand’s largest lake, and for guests who want a slower morning browsing rather than a big outdoor adventure, it delivers well. Independent boutiques carry locally made goods — hand-thrown ceramics, merino and wool products, New Zealand-made jewellery, and artisan food producers. The glassblowing studio in Wairākei, just a ten-minute drive north of Taupō on the way to Rotorua, is a perennial draw. This is the kind of town where an unplanned few hours tends to turn into a full afternoon.

Poronui’s team can advise on what’s worth visiting at any given time of year.

What Guests Love About Blake House

Blake House draws a particular kind of guest: people who want to be together, properly, without distraction.

Multigenerational families are perhaps the most natural fit. The combination of master bedrooms for parents and grandparents, bunkrooms for children, a private chef who can cater across ages and tastes, and a property wide enough that everyone can find their own pace — that combination is rare. Families who have stayed at Blake House tend to return, and tend to bring more people each time.

Groups of friends who want more than a hotel and less than a resort find what they are looking for here. A place with the feel of a private home, the service of a luxury property, and a sense of space, inside and out, that allows each guest to settle in and unwind at their own pace.

Blake House also works for milestone celebrations: significant birthdays, anniversaries, reunions. The lawn, the views, and the indoor spaces adapt to gatherings of all shapes, with Poronui’s team managing everything so the host never has to.

Practical Things Worth Knowing

Getting there: Blake House is located in the Taharua Valley, approximately 40 minutes from Taupo Airport. Poronui offers transfers from Taupo, and helicopter arrivals can be arranged for those travelling from further afield — Auckland, Napier, and Rotorua are all within range.

Minimum stay: Two nights. Most guests find three or four nights closer to what the property deserves.

Capacity: Four master bedrooms accommodate up to 8 guests (double or twin configuration). Two bunkrooms extend capacity to 16. Children aged 2 to 12 are priced separately from 13 and over.

Rates: Full-service private chef rates begin at NZD $11,215 per night (mid-season). Self-catered rates begin at NZD $3,895 per night. Rates are based on the four master bedrooms with up to 8 guests; bunkrooms are additional.

Season: Blake House is available year-round. Autumn and winter bring open fires, lower rates, and a quieter landscape. Spring and summer open up the full range of outdoor experiences. Each season has its own character.

A Note on Seclusion

Blake House is not positioned as remote in the traditional sense. The journey is straightforward, the roads are good, the beds exceptional, and the food is prepared by a chef who takes genuine pride in their craft. Service is quiet, considered, and consistently attentive.

What it offers instead is something far more compelling: true privacy. No shared spaces. No other guests. No schedule that belongs to anyone but you. The house is entirely yours for the duration of your stay, with Poronui’s team moving in step with your rhythm rather than the other way around.

It is this balance of comfort, absolute privacy, and a landscape that quietly commands your attention that draws guests back, time and again.

Blake House is available for exclusive use year-round. Enquire at [email protected] or +64 7 384 2080. Full rates and availability at blakehousevilla.com.