Marlborough Sounds · New Zealand
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The cabin’s timber front deck, sliding glass doors open to the dining room, framed by native bush

Easy to reach,
hard to leave

A hand-built cabin where native forest reaches down to still tidal water.

Check dates & enquire Explore the cabin

A place to exhale

Handcrafted over five years. Calm, private and quietly modern.

  • 4Guests
  • 2Bedrooms
  • 1Bathroom
  • 16+Adults only
The view from the cabin in March — mirror-still water, native bush ridges and distant ranges

The setting

A quiet corner, entirely your own

The Milestone sits on a quiet tidal arm at the head of the Marlborough Sounds, where native forest blankets the surrounding ranges and tumbles down to a rugged shoreline of bays and coves — drowned river valleys carved by the sea.

  • Birdwatching
  • Hiking
  • Watersports
  • Total privacy

Inside

Light-filled rooms, water at every turn

See every space →

Your neighbours

The canopy & the shallows

Tūī at dawn, kingfishers on the wire, spoonbills wading the shallows — a few of the natives that share the place.

  • A tūī perched in a kōwhai, white throat-tuft showing
    Tūī The dawn soloist
  • A kōtare (sacred kingfisher) with its brilliant blue back
    Kōtare Kingfisher on the wire
  • A royal spoonbill wading in the shallows
    Kōtuku-ngutupapa Royal spoonbill, wading the shallows
  • A young pīwakawaka (fantail) perched on a twig
    Pīwakawaka Fantail, never still
Adventure motorbikes and their riders in front of the cabin — riders are welcome

Riders welcome

Half the holiday is the ride in

Queen Charlotte Drive is a rider’s road, and it runs right to the door. The hosts are riders too — there’s safe parking for the bikes, somewhere to dry your gear, and a warm welcome at the end of a long, winding day.

More for riders →
Aerial view of The Milestone cabin in a green clearing beside the water

Getting here

An easy, beautiful drive

Right on Queen Charlotte Drive — sealed all the way, and one of the great touring roads in the country. Look for the rapid number in large white numerals on a house-shaped mailbox, opposite a wider turning space on the road.

Havelock
~10 km
Picton & the ferries
~24 km
Blenheim wine country
within the hour
The location →

Guest stories

  • “What a wonderful cabin you have built. We loved our time here and enjoyed the peace, the nature, the birds, the view — everything. The perfect place to recharge in the middle of our honeymoon trip.”

    Felix & AngelaGermany · January 2025

  • “What a delightful sliver of paradise you have here. The only thing nicer than the lovely accommodation was your welcome and willingness to help us in any way possible.”

    Roger & SharonUSA · April 2025

  • “What a beautiful place you have here — truly something special, cared for and well made. The bush walk and views are amazing. We all loved our short stay.”

    Bryony, Sam & AudreyWellington · February 2024

Hosted by Lionel — Welcoming guests to the Marlborough Sounds.

A blazing gold-and-orange sunset over the water of the Sounds, seen across the cabin’s timber deck

Journey's end

Come and stay a while

Book direct for our best rate — no booking fees.
Send us your dates and we'll be in touch.

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