Te Mānia is located on the at the foot of Te Mata Peak in the Tukituki Valley, on a thin strip of land locked between the revered maunga and overlooking the Tukituki River; two of Te Matau-a-Māui, the Hawkes Bay’s, most iconic natural features and an area of outstanding natural beauty.
Access to the site is via a long driveway that winds alongside orchards on the banks of the Tukituki River. Situated on the northern and southern edges of a small lake, the site is made up of two distinct areas. At its centre sits the Te Mānia Room which acts as a living pavilion. With views to all sides, the building acts as a building in the round, with no formal front door. It is a stage for entertaining, anchored at one end by an outdoor patio and fireplace.
Te Mānia is a project of dualities. The angular forms of the Te Mānia Room reflect the rocky outcrops of the overhead peaks, with deep apertures carved out of the building form to frame the views in all directions, emphasising the contrast between solid and void. The Te Mānia Room is the extrovert at the centre of the social and entertaining experience. In sharp contrast the introverts, the sleeping houses, retreat into the landscape. Serpentine in form, the houses draw inspiration from the river they face. The raw and rustic face of the insitu concrete structures tone with the riverbed and guests are cocooned below the earth in a cave-like structure of soft hues and textures.
When retreating to the sanctuary of the guest rooms, one needs to wander through the landscape (rain or shine) to find their sleeping quarters – distinct cave-like buildings that nestled into the sloping contours of the site to the north and west of the site. These buildings aim to blend into the mounded landscape of native trees and fauna, with faces open towards the river. In this project, landscape and architecture are entwined to create a continuous, visceral experience that encourages guests to acknowledge environment they are within.
