Huka Lodge: A Sense of Place
Huka Lodge:
A Sense of Place
Huka Lodge sits on the banks of the Waikato River in Taupō, New Zealand, surrounded by seventeen acres of garden shaded by redwoods, golden ginkgo and native ponga fern. More than 120 bird species live on the grounds, their songs carrying across the twenty guest suites and two private cottages set among the trees.
The lodge has occupied this stretch of riverbank since 1924, when an Irishman named Alan Pye set up a fishing camp here, canvas tents pitched for anglers chasing the Waikato's trout. Alex van Heeren purchased the property in 1984, beginning a new chapter that helped establish Huka Lodge as one of New Zealand’s most celebrated luxury retreats.
In 2025, Huka entered its next chapter. A significant renovation brought a new openness to the lodge, strengthening the connection between its interiors, gardens and river. A new wellness offering introduced the Wellness Grounds, contemporary spaces inspired by the classic Kiwi bach, tucked into secluded forest. During this evolution, another expression of Huka began to take shape: this time, through scent.
Ashley & Co. has been part of the Huka Lodge experience for several years, supplying in-suite Hand Wash, Body Wash, Shampoo and Conditioner in custom Huka bottles, fragranced with three house favourites: Tui & Kahili, Peppy & Lucent and Mortar & Pestle. With the lodge's renewal came an opportunity to create something entirely its own: a bespoke fragrance designed to capture the feeling of the place.
Ashley & Co. has been part of the Huka Lodge experience for several years, supplying in-suite Hand Wash, Body Wash, Shampoo and Conditioner in custom Huka bottles, fragranced with three house favourites: Tui & Kahili, Peppy & Lucent and Mortar & Pestle. With the lodge's renewal came an opportunity to create something entirely its own: a bespoke fragrance designed to capture the feeling of the place.
"Drawing on memories of summers spent in Taupō, alongside the lodge's beautiful refurbishment and stunning natural setting, we set out to create something that felt distinctly Huka.
Fresh, verdant and quietly luxurious, the fragrance captures the freshness of the Waikato landscape, the warmth and natural beauty of the lodge, and the sense of escape that has made Huka so iconic."
JACKIE ASHLEY
The fragrance needed to hold those contrasts - grounding yet refreshing, crisp yet calm, luxurious yet natural. From this came a direction centred around clarity and crisp blue: an interpretation of the freshness and tranquillity found at the river's edge.
Green notes bring the first sense of the outdoors, joined by aromatic clary sage and a marine accord that nods to the Waikato and the coolness of morning air. Sandalwood and vetiver provide the foundation, adding an earthy depth and warmth that settles the fragrance and speaks to the comfort within the lodge.
The result is fresh and restorative, but grounded. A scent designed to feel as much at home within Huka's interiors as it does beside the landscape that inspired it.
The name arrived later. Huka Lodge's relationship with fly-fishing dates back to its earliest days, when guests first came to stay beside the Waikato River in pursuit of its renowned trout. Peacock Parachute, the name of an actual fishing fly, became the link between that heritage and the new fragrance.
Peacock Parachute is now part of the Huka Lodge experience, with scent as another marker of place and memory.
Learn more about Huka Lodge and the place behind Peacock Parachute.
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