Tiny Outlooks - Three Streams - Raglan
Lately, I’ve been thinking about the personality of light. How the sun shows up differently every season and continually changes as it weaves in and out of our days …The dance of moving shadows on a wall as the morning glow filters through the trees; My silhouetted presence, coffee cup in hand; The golden reflection across a watery horizon as the sun dips into the west at day’s end. When we slow down enough to notice the light around us, our imaginations can sprout and gratitude is encouraged to grow. My aim, with all of my tiny adventures is to slow down enough for my imagination and gratitude to be nurtured, and by sharing this, hopefully inspire you to do the same.
Three Streams Retreat is a 25 acre rural property 5 mins drive from Raglan township. Owners Lucy and Callum bought the working farmlet in 2017 after spending a number of years living in Raglan. “We fell in love with the land (the streams, waterfall, native bush, paddocks) and proximity to Raglan town. It is the perfect lifestyle property for our two boys to roam and explore nature, ride motorbikes, raise animals, eel in the streams, grow our own fruit and veges and have room for chooks”, Lucy shares. The couple added two unique stays to their property with a desire to share a little slice of their Raglan dream with visitors. Blackwood cabin, with its fully glassed frontage is nestled amongst a walnut grove and looks out over a belt of native bush. Nearby, ‘The Studio’ which has a separate driveway and outlook is a converted industrial shed with a modern, lush feel.
Blackwood Cabin, where we stayed, is a smartly designed 8 × 3 m structure with an efficient layout. A central galley kitchen links a living area on one side with a bedroom and ensuite on the other. Sliding glass doors across the exterior of each space connects to a covered deck, expanding the living zone, inviting the outside in. Lucy and Callum worked with cabin makers ‘The Big Little Tiny House company’ to achieve the design they wanted. The cabin was constructed offsite and transported in, where it now has a sense of belonging with the land.
This stay for my husband and I was a great little creative recharge. Andrew brought the draft of his novel he’s been writing and reworked sections of the manuscript as I flowed him feedback. The creative writing process has happily accompanied many of our recent tiny stays. Andrew, like myself, loves a project and getting away from the distractions of home is the ideal environment to chip away in a relaxed way.
One of Raglan’s main draw-cards for locals and visitors alike is the surf… The world class left hand point break at Manu Bay is set to host the fourth stop of the WSL 2026 championship tour which will cause accommodation to max out in the weeks surrounding the event.
Andrew hit the dawn swell during our stay while I pottered around with my camera in hand, enjoying the slow morning start and relative quiet of our off peak stay.
The wild beauty of Aotearoa’s west coast holds a dear space for me. Cliff edges give way to native bush on one side and dip down to iron sands on the other. There’s a depth of character to the landscape that etches into your memories and demands a response. At dusk, we wandered along the brooding shores of Ngaranui beach, breathing in the salt air while the sun set like a fireball over the ocean.
I thought again about the personality of light as our shadows lengthened and pastel clouds floated over Mt Karioi, pointing to another adventure.
To book your stay at Three Streams, head to https://www.threestreams.co.nz/