Relaxation is paramount at the Solscape Eco Retreat in Raglan, New Zealand

If you want eco friendly accommodation then I recommend Solscape Eco Retreat in Raglan, two hours south west of Auckland. 

Situated on a hillside not far from surf beach Manu Bay (which boasts an infamous left-hand point break) accommodation includes recycled NZ railway carriages (cabooses), self-contained apartments (baches) or why not go native in the Tipi Retreat?
 

Solscape incorporates a number of environmentally conscious facilities, including non-toxic building materials, solar powered LED lighting, solar heated indoor-outdoor showers and composting toilets.
 

The dining area, where guests can cook their own meals, is set up for recycling and there are notices everywhere to remind users not to waste water, this includes minimal flushing of the toilet! 

If you like cooking outdoors there are earth ovens as well.   
 

Relaxation is paramount here with nearby mud-huts providing extra communal recreational space for reading and board games.  Hammocks are also strung up here and there between the cabooses, perfect for retreating with a book and listening to the tuis singing in the flax bushes on a hot summer afternoon. 
 

Solscape's eco-friendly set-up and relaxed rural kiwiness attracts all types of travellers. 

There's nothing better than to spend a summer evening chatting with fellow globe-trotters about their experiences and sharing a beer (and a box of chocolate eclairs from the local Four Square).   It can make you feel quite nostalgic for the life of a back-packer.  
 

For a real treat on clear nights, just cast your eyes upwards.  One advantage of solar powered lighting is that it doesn't have any effect whatsoever on dimming the brightness of the stars.  You'll think you've died and gone to starry heaven.

Written and contributed by Angela Pearse
www.bellaitalia.co.nz