About Us
The Retreat is a special place for more reasons than you might imagine... Built in 2010, it was designed by owner and manager Robyne, her late partner Andy, and their daughter Kelly (then 19). At the time, Andy had been diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer at age 40. The Retreat was built with the purpose of providing comfortable and affordable accommodation for Kelly and her partner Michael to allow them to save for their own home, while also providing a back-up income in later years for Robyne once they moved on.
A Little Bit of Coaster...
Sadly, Andy passed away on January 27th 2010, and we began to build The Retreat about 6 months later. Kelly and Michael moved into it about three months later, until they purchased their own home just before Christmas 2012. By then they had a wee addition to their family - young Jordan Andrew, joined 23 months later by little Ruby Anne.
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Since June 2013, The Retreat has been open to holiday makers, EQC clients and anybody who's looking for that special place to get away from it all. Together, Robyne and Kelly keep things up to scratch and running smoothly.
Your key hostess is Robyne, along with her big white bob-tailed cat Ollie, who seems to gravitate quickly towards those guests who genuinely love cats... From time to time, you'll see daughter Kelly and her two little side-kicks visiting, and you'll always get a cheeky wave from the kids if they spot you.
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In December 2013, we proudly added the new outdoor bath area to The Retreat - we call it our 'little bit of Coast', as we are born and bred West Coasters from Hokitika/Greymouth, and are very proud of the special character the Coast is known for. We try to incorporate this into The Retreat in various subtle ways.
The outdoor bath area comes complete with instant hot and cold running water, sensor lighting, and a gate you can close for privacy, not that we would DREAM of disturbing you!
Robyne is also a very busy Landscape Architect and runs her own business -
R Hyndman Landscape Architecture. This project, incorporating the bath and outdoor gardens for The Retreat, has been a delight to design and build, and is proving an inspiration to many friends, clients and guests alike...
Enjoy.