About Us
“Hello! We are Janice and Kim, happy owners of Manakau Lodge - our slice of heaven!
We moved to Kaikoura from Hawkes Bay in 2021. We discovered the lodge on a whim but it didn’t take long to fall in love with it and beautiful Kaikoura. Since then, we have poured so much work and love into this place and have quickly become locals in Kaikoura’s welcoming community!”
Kim has always been an outdoorsman and enjoys taking in the breathtaking views Kaikoura provides. He graciously volunteers to grade and restore tracks and roads around Kaikoura with his grader! Kim is passionate about wildlife, and hunting, and loves to share a good story or two over a beer. In a previous life, Kim was NZ’s foremost expert in frost protection, being the first to import USA-made frost fans to NZ then later to develop his own static machine (now NZ Frost Fans), then the world's first mobile frost fan (Tow & Blow).
Janice spends lots of time outdoors, taking Minnie (their beloved Border Collie) on walks, hikes, and other adventures. She enjoys yoga, a local cuppa in the morning and creating a welcoming environment for guests and whanau alike. Janice was a Chartered Accountant who was the first woman partner in the Horwath group in NZ. She then went on to set up her own firm in Hawkes Bay at the tender age of 31. She later joined Kim to run the Frost Fan businesses, leaving Kim to focus on innovation.
Most of their lives were spent in Hawkes Bay, NZ where they initially met in Primary school, and then later raised their 2 + 2 family. In fact, Janice is a third-generation Hawkes Bay-ite. Her great grandparents having arrived into Napier, NZ aboard the “Helen Denny” in 1874. Manakau Lodge is not their first foray into the hospitality industry. As a business advisor, Janice has had her fair share of hospitality-related clients and together; Kim and Janice owned a successful Airbnb in Taupo before moving to the South Island.
A Family Wedding at Manakau Lodge
28/3/24
We recently had the privilege of hosting a family wedding at Manakau Lodge! Ross, Kim’s son, and his beautiful wife, Hayley, are a picture of true love and we think the Lodge suited them perfectly. It was an amazing wedding full of fun, good food, family reuniting and lots and lots of dancing!
We got to partner with a few local vendors (and friends) who helped make the night so special. We’ll link some of their websites below. We’re so grateful for this amazing community who were so genuine and wanted to help us throw this function together for our kids!
Our family and Hayley’s are sprinkled all over New Zealand. It was so sweet to have everyone together celebrating the lovely couple and we hope to be able to host more weddings in the future!
Cheers to Ross & Hayley!
Vendors:
Catering - Hapuku Kitchen
Flowers -Alanah Connor Wedding Florals
Photography - Eilish Burt
Hair - Andrea Prince
Celebrant - Kaikoura Elopement Co
Makeup and Wedding Cake - Kimberley Atkinson (Janice’s daughter!)
Decor, Marquee, and more - The Little Hire Company