Tora Coastal Walk

A Glimpse Behind the Scenes

Kiri — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 08:08:23 +0000

If you have been on the Tora Coastal Walk, then you will have no doubt had the pleasure of being hosted by Kiri Elworthy. In the latest NZ House and Garden magazine, Sharon Stephenson visited Kiri and James Elworthy in their home. Sharon takes you on a tour behind the scenes of their Tora home as Kiri prepares for their family Christmas. Read the full article below, or visit this link to view it online where there is an accompanying video. Enjoy

Drive the long, winding road until you reach the heel of the North Island. Then drive a little bit more, and you’ll come to Kiri and James Elworthy’s house.

It might be around 30 kilometres to the nearest town (Martinborough), but it’s as though someone has dropped a slither of whitewashed Scandinavian design onto 800ha of isolated Wairarapa hill country.

The villa certainly bears little resemblance to how it looked when it was built in 1920. There’s the crisp white paint, of course, liberally applied to walls, ceilings and floors. “James calls it the asylum because it’s so blindingly white,” says Kiri, who is one half of the team that operates the Tora Coastal Walk, a 47km stroll along the rugged South Wairarapa coast that has been attracting walkers since 1995.

Kiri arrived at the white palette after a stint with black painted floors. “That turned out to be a disaster, because with four kids, it was hard to keep the floors clean.”

Those four children – Margot, 27, Rupert, 22, Guy, 21, and 17-year-old Flora – have all since left the beef and sheep farm that’s been in the Elworthy family since 1993.

Back then, the house was actually two kilometres down the road, next to the Awhea River that constantly flooded. “We’d wake up in the middle of a lake and had to be evacuated twice,” says Kiri. “We looked at either building a new house further up the hill or moving this one and it was far cheaper to chop the house into three pieces and move it to a flat paddock up the road.”

That solved the flooding problem but left them with another – the nor’westerly gales that battered the house. “There was absolutely no shelter and sometimes the house shook so much it felt as though we were on a boat. So the builder removed the weatherboards and added bracing, which made a huge difference.” As did the months of planting, on the advice of friend and local landscape architect Rachel Callaghan.

While the builders put the house back together, the couple took the opportunity to turn what had been James’ bachelor pad into a stylish family home. That involved extending the living room, converting a laundry into Flora’s bedroom and a former storeroom into a laundry (with the hooks for hanging mutton still in place).

They added French doors in the living room and bedroom to provide access to Kiri’s beloved garden. The kitchen was moved from the rear of the house to the front, and opened up so Kiri can enjoy the beautiful mountain views while she whips up the sweet treats wolfed down by hungry guests doing the Tora Coastal Walk from October to April every year.

Once the renovations were complete, Kiri got to work filling the house with the antiques and objects she’s spent a lifetime collecting. But with an art history degree under her belt, she was picky about what covered her walls. “I like contemporary art and have expensive tastes so for years the walls were bare because we couldn’t afford anything I wanted.”

When she was left some money by her grandmother, Kiri bought a piece by Christchurch artist Marie Le Lievre. It sits alongside a painting of a bird by artist Stephen Allwood that Kiri had long admired in a Wellington gallery and was gutted when she saw it had been sold. “It turns out James had bought it for me and didn’t tell me until the exhibition had finished.”

The end of the year is a busy time in the Elworthy house, with Kiri often hosting up to 36 family and friends for Christmas lunch. “We love Christmas and although we don’t go the whole hog with decorations, we always get a fresh tree from one of the forestry blocks on the property that we usually decorate as a family.”

It seems unlikely that the family would ever leave the property. But James has Parkinson’s disease and Kiri says they have to be realistic about his ability to continue farming the land.

“We’ll probably look at moving to a smaller place in Martinborough but for now, we’re happy where we are.”

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Our Commitment To Sustainable Tourism

Kiri — Mon, 22 Oct 2018 08:23:27 +0000

We’re thrilled to announce that we have recently become eligible for inclusion in the New Zealand Tourism Sustainability Commitment programme. The environment, our local community, and our visitors are all equally vital parts of what we do, so it’s exciting to join like-minded businesses across the country and strive for sustainable tourism here in Aotearoa.

Tora’s rugged charm draws people from New Zealand and across the world, and so making sure it’s sustainable is really important to us. We have shown that we can achieve the 14 Commitments in areas like environmental and economic sustainability, community impacts, and – of course – the great experiences of our visitors!

If you’d like to read more about the New Zealand Tourism Sustainability Commitment, visit the website here.

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Women’s wellness retreat 2018

Kiri — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 20:35:50 +0000

A few weeks have passed since we hosted our very first Women’s Wellness Retreats. We’ve had time to reflect, not only on how well they were received and how much we enjoyed delivering them, but also on the ways we can improve what we offer in the future.

The idea of hosting Wellness Retreats came about from personal experiences both Jenny and I have recently had. I’d been roped into attending a one-day yoga and mindfulness retreat myself, giving me a taste of the restorative powers of combining exercise, relaxation, great food and stellar company. We already know this is a winning formula as these components form the basis of our core three-day walking business. Jenny has been increasingly interested in health and nutrition since giving up drinking a few years ago. Not that she was ever a heavy drinker but because she felt it wasn’t necessary in her life.

It seems that we’re not the only ones looking for ways to enrich ourselves. The two Retreats we offered sold out in less than a week and with 60 people on our waiting list, we felt reassured there is a demand. Our modern world saps us of our inner resources and can leave us feeling disconnected from one another, our inner-selves and the natural world. At Tora we have the perfect environment in which to restore and revitalise. So, we felt compelled to help!

We knew creating a weekend of activities that struck the right balance was vital. We didn’t want to scare off the punters by coming across like a bunch of lentil eating zealots (although we do love lentils!). What we wanted to offer was attainable methods to achieve wellness – the right amount of exercise and education, in between relaxing and socializing (as well as some treats!). Time to call in the experts for some advice!

And the experts we called in couldn’t have been a better fit! Sarah, our incredibly knowledgeable dietician gave us great advice on how much people can digest during a workshop (sorry, couldn’t help myself). We very quickly settled on the topic of gut health with a Kimchi demonstration. The resulting nutrition workshop was incredibly informative. With the three-course wine matched dinner following her presentation we were all relieved to hear Sarah agrees with the science that the odd glass of wine can be great for one’s health! Kate, our super talented yoga instructor and mindfulness leader was equally appreciated. The yoga session was appropriately gentle, and Kate’s wise and soulful commentary generated a warm ambience. Her mindfulness session left us all feeling centered and present. It’s fair to say we were all “blissed out”. Both ladies were such a pleasure to have involved and were clearly highlights for many participants.

The wine matched dinner was a great opportunity to let our hair down. With the open fire roaring and the Palliser Estate Bubbles flowing animated chatter filled the room. The Big Sky Pinot Noir was the perfect partner to roast lamb and a Johner late harvest sauvignon blanc matched with Jenny’s delicious gooseberry trifle rounded off the evening perfectly. But not before some energetic dance moves were displayed!We were blessed with sensational weather on both weekends for the walk to the Trig. This 250m uphill “amble” (some would use a less kind word) was rewarded with incredible views and enjoyed with a coffee in hand and some of Jenny’s delicious baking.

Sunday afternoon rolled around much too quickly. We felt like we’d made a whole lot of new friends and it was sad to say our goodbyes. But the platform is now there, the feedback has been studied and collated and our fingers are poised over the repeat button. In Kate’s words we’ve created “a beautiful space for healing”. I can safely say the Retreats will become an annual event – we’ll keep you posted on dates for 2019!

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Women’s Wellness Retreat – SOLD OUT

Kiri — Thu, 17 May 2018 08:14:09 +0000

THESE EVENTS ARE SOLD OUT. DUE TO OVERWHELMING POPULARITY, WE WILL LOOK TO REPEAT THE RETREATS IN WINTER 2019. IF YOU’D LIKE TO BE CONTACTED WHEN THE NEW DATES ARE ANNOUNCED, PLEASE EMAIL US AT kiri@toracoastalwalk.nz .

We’re really excited to announce our first ever women’s wellness retreat! “Eat. Play. Love.” is a weekend escape that celebrates you, with delicious food and wine, in the heart of the rugged Tora Coast.

It’s the ultimate food for the soul.

Soak up the stunning and rugged scenery on a guided 3-hour morning walk over hilltop ridges, native bush and expansive farmland, enjoy an informative session on women’s gut health with dietician Sarah Percy, and find your inner zen with expert yoga instructor Kate McLeay.

Top it off with fresh local produce prepared by your hosts Kiri and Jenny, and you’re in for a delicious women’s retreat.

Includes all food, a wine-matched dinner at Stony Bay Lodge on Saturday night, two night’s accommodation, a masterclass on fermented foods for gut health, a yoga session with the ocean as your backdrop, and time out to relax.

Grab your girlfriends and be part of this special coastal experience.

What’s included?

The package includes:

Two night’s accommodation on the Tora Coast
Supper on arrival
Continental style breakfast’s including locally laid free range eggs
Home baking for morning tea’s, including freshly ground local coffee
Lunch and afternoon tea on Saturday
Wine matched three-course dinner at Stony Bay Lodge on Saturday evening
Guided three-hour walk over private farmland and post-walk stretching session
Yoga session and mindfulness session with yogi Kate McLeay
Interactive and informative session on women’s gut health with dietician Sarah Percy

Further details

There are two weekends to choose from: Friday 10 – Sunday 12 August, and Friday 17 – Sunday 19 August 2018. Arrival is on the Friday evening, and departure is late Sunday morning.

The cost is $399 per person, and spaces are extremely limited. To receive a detailed information pack, including details on your hosts and a programme outline, or to secure your spot, contact Kiri at kiri@toracoastalwalk.nz.

Please indicate which weekend you would like to book for, and how many people are in your group, so we can take this into account when allocating sleeping arrangements. Thank you.

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Peisport Vineyard Trip

Kiri — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 00:00:03 +0000

One of the most memorable travel experiences is the rare moment when one gets to meet the locals who live and work in the place you’re visiting. It can be challenging to get out of the “travel bubble” – that frustrating space where you’re hanging out with other travellers and struggling to connect with the locals.

On a recent trip to Germany we were lucky enough to be hosted by a fabulous family of winemakers in the small village of Peisport on the banks of the Mosel River. While there we were given a grand tour of their wine cellar and vineyard (including wine tasting!), picnicked and waterskied on the river, enjoyed bbq’s with the family and walked the length and breadth of their gorgeous village.

Our time in Piesport was memorable for many reasons, but mostly for the ordinary, everyday things we did and observed. We left with an intimate understanding of the Piesport way of life.

We’ve been told that one of the most enjoyable aspects of the Tora Coastal Walk experience is meeting the people who own and farm the land and gaining an insight into our lifestyles. Learning about where our children go to school, where we do our grocery shopping and how far away our closest neighbours live is all part of the experience.

So, whether it’s the huntaway running off with the roast or the rams invading the vege garden through a hole in the fence – you get to see us “warts and all”, for no extra charge!

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Tora Challenge Returns to Event Calendar

Kiri — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 20:43:17 +0000

Registrations for the Tora Challenge, a walking and running event set on private land along the Wairarapa’s dramatic coastline, open next week.

The Tora Coastal Challenge, to be held on Sunday, 1st May 2016, features three course options including a 6km walk/run, 18km walk/run and 32km run. It will see participants cover a stunning route used by hundreds of people each year doing the Tora Coastal Walk, New Zealand’s longest running private multi-day walk.

Kiri Elworthy, one of the owners of the Tora Coastal Walk which will celebrate its 22nd Anniversary this October, is looking forward to holding the event again after it made its debut in 2014.

“The feedback from the first event was so positive we’ve decided to bring the Tora Challenge back in 2016, which coincides with the end of our 21st season of the Tora Coastal Walk,” says Kiri.

“We know people loved the course which took them over private hill country and coastal farms, through river valleys and native bush and along the dramatic Tora coastline. Not to mention the terrific rural hospitality they received at the finish line. We’re very excited to announce the event is back on and are looking forward to welcoming people back to our slice of paradise.”

The Tora Challenge will begin from Stony Bay Lodge on the Tora Coast, a 45 minute drive from the wine village of Martinborough. The architecturally designed, beach front lodge has uninterrupted views North and South along the wild and unpopulated coastline.
Participants will then complete either the 6km family friendly Coastal Cruiser run or walk along the coastline; the new 18km Reef to Ridge run or walk that takes people along the coastline for 6km, before ascending into native bush and over private farmland before looping back to Stony Bay Lodge or the Big Kahuna, a 32km run that covers the entire Tora Coastal Walk. This challenging course features 6km of the Tora Coast, a 12km run to Whakapata Cottage then 14kms of hill climbs and descents, with breath-taking views of the Pacific Ocean as their reward.
“The Tora Challenge caters to all ages and abilities – from groups and friends wanting to tackle something new to hard core runners looking for an exciting challenge set in incredible scenery,” she says. “Also, our charity this year is the Life Flight Trust. So by supporting the Tora Challenge, all participants will be supporting this vitally important service in our community.”

The 2014 event sold out within three days, so Kiri encourages people to register early to avoid disappointment. It is limited to 750 individuals. Registrations open Wednesday, 17th February 2016, however a 48 hour pre-sale kicks off at 10am on Monday 15 February. Visit www.toracoastalwalk.co.nz for more details.

DETAILS:
What: The Tora Coastal Challenge
6km run/walk; 18km run/walk or a 32km run.
When: Sunday, 1st May 2016.
Start times: 8.30am: 18km walk, 32km run
9.30am: 18km run
11am: 6km walk, including families
11.30am: 6km run
Where: Tora Coastline, South Wairarapa – a 45 minute drive from the wine village of Martinborough. First race events begin from Stony Bay Lodge at 8.30am

Routes:
• Coastal Cruiser – 6km family-friendly run or walk along the remote and unique Tora Coast.
• Reef to Ridge – this 18km run or walk follows the Tora Coastline for 6km, before ascending into lush native flora and private farmland, then along a panoramic ridge, providing constant sea views, before descending back to the start point.
• Big Kahuna – this 32km run covers the entire Tora Coastal Walk course; 6km of the Tora Coast, 12km to Whakapata Cottage, then the gruntiest section of the day, 14kms of hill climbs and descents, with breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean as your reward.

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Wairarapa Lifestyle Magazine

Kiri — Sat, 26 Sep 2015 20:44:32 +0000

A Wairarapa must do adventure – Wairarapa Lifestyle Magazine – Spring 2015

If you haven’t experienced the Tora Coastal Walk yet, or even if you have, it’s time to put it at the top of your ‘must do Wairarapa’ list.

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Windswept and Wild

Kiri — Fri, 19 Dec 2014 20:51:53 +0000

Dominion Post, 20 December 2014

When you reach Stony Bay Lodge on Wairarapa’s Tora Coastal Walk you’ve got to the mid- way point, an idyllic setting just 30 metres from the wild coastline. So when the decision was made to build at the site overlooking the sea, a warm and welcoming lodge for weary hikers was paramount.

Click the image below to read the full article.

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