Our Story
Surrounded by native bush and right on the water, Tawa Cove is a place to slow down, enjoy the natural surroundings and experience the Marlborough Sounds at your own pace.
We're completely remote, with no road access. Guests arrive by water taxi, private boat or on foot along the Queen Charlotte Track — making getting here part of the experience.
Our Story
We are Don & Prue Kingsbury, (and Oscar, the Springer Spaniel).
We purchased Tawa Cove in 2018, with the vision of building cabins on our property and experiencing the real “sea change”. We moved here permanently in December 2020.
Originally from Waimate, we operated our own plumbing business for 21 years. It was time for something different. We'd talked for a while about the possibility of “one day” doing something out of the box, and after a while decided it was time to stop talking and just do it!
If you've been to the Marlborough Sounds, you'll have noticed that many of the properties and baches are on hillsides, with steep climbs up to the house from the water. When we saw Tawa Cove, it was extremely appealing as it's flat from the water and jetty to the main house.
The guest cabins, sourced from the Czech Republic, are solid timber spruce and took some time to arrive! We've had numerous hold-ups, including the dreaded Covid, a ship trying to do a U-turn in a canal and some huge rainfalls here in the Sounds.
It has been a struggle to bring the dream to fruition, but seeing the outcome has been rewarding, while at times exhausting. Living remotely, with absolutely no road access, creates challenges both physically and financially. We've been told it's character building — well, we have a lot of character, I can tell you!
We share our magical spot with amazing wildlife including weka, deer, dolphins, fish and an array of native birdlife (and the odd orca).
What started as a love of the Sounds and the simple pleasure of sharing this beautiful place with others has grown into a small accommodation business where we enjoy meeting people from New Zealand and around the world.
We love that Tawa Cove offers something a little different — a chance to step away from busy roads and everyday life, spend time by the water, explore the Queen Charlotte Track or simply sit back and enjoy the peace and quiet.
