December 13, 2009
Forget backpacking: the country’s wilderness is best enjoyed from a hot tub, with a glass of sauvignon
We arranged for Max Anderson to travel down to New Zealand and this is what he wrote in the Sunday Times:
The New Zealand lodge is almost a travel genre in its own right; and, like the safari lodge,the ranch and the spa resort, it comes with a set of defining experiences. Chief among these is wilderness, something that NZ — populated by just 4m people — has in excess. The North Island is as emerald as Ireland in spring, with a lively topography sculpted by volcanoes; the South Island is dominated by the snow-capped Southern Alps, ranges as commanding as their namesakes.
Traditionally, the lodge was a Highlands transplant where the well-heeled enjoyed the fruits of hunting, a clubby sort of place, hung with antler racks and stuffed fish. Today, the trophies are the lodges themselves, precariously hung on coves, ridge lines and mountains.
Here, then, are six lodges offering something fresh and fine. The experiences are as rich and “gourmet” as the price tags suggest; but while wealthy guests like to lodge-hop (slowly killing themselves with kindness), three nights at a single lodge in the midst of, say, a camper-van holiday would be just as rewarding.
The Farm at Cape Kidnappers, Hawke’s Bay
Cape Kidnappers is what happens when Manhattan money piles into a 6,000-acre sheep farm on cliffs overlooking a premium wine district. The Farm is “agricultural chic”: hyper-designed, and a hit with even the most conservative of its 56 guests. When they installed a golf course on a series of “fingers” poking into blue skies over Hawke’s Bay, Kidnappers rocketed up American golfers’ must-do lists. When Farm guests aren’t receiving extra-fine service, they’re exploring the property. Walks lead to forested gorges, hidden beaches and cliff plateaus that are snowy with squawking colonies of gannets.Don’t miss: the kiwi experience. There are 37 kiwis on Cape Kidnappers, all regularly weighed and measured. Radio-tracking, catching and handling the national icon is a thrill as rare as the bird itself.Doubles from £780
You wake at Whare Kea to a Disney tableau of mountains, lake and lawn, populated with bunnies, quails and goldfinches — all of which are sent scurrying in terror by the arrival of a thudding helicopter. It’s arriving to take you on a 20-minute flight over snow-cloaked mountainsto a black speck clinging tothe side of Dragon Fly Peak.
It’s your overnight chalet accommodation and, at 5,700ft, very much a rare-air experience (the only other access is via a two-day hike) — that night, your chef will prepare five-star fare and the night sky will put on a stellar performance. Back at the lakeside Lodge, the mood is casual and contemporary. The 60-acre grounds are filled with native plants and lambs, and the mountain-view spa would be a very good place to die.
Don’t miss: riding around nearby Rippon winery, one of the world’s most beautiful vineyards.
Doubles from £610, chalet stay £2,160, all-inclusive
Architecturally, this is a curate’s egg, nested between ferocious bay and strident mountains, but for all its oddness, Wharekauhau is a beacon of comfort and cheer. Most lodges won’t take under-13s, but this one keeps them — ergo parents — totally happy, with all-action distractions including riding, quad bikes and tours of the sheep station (5,500 wild and woolly acres).
Indoors, it’s the simple things that work best — the big, goofy labrador, the 24-metre heated pool and the movie and popcorn nights in the attic, leaving parents free to enjoy the work of Anthony North, a forager/chef de cuisine who does sensational things with the local bounty.
Don’t miss: Texel lamb. It’s marbled, like the finest steak.
Doubles from £420, children’s doubles from £360
The savage, snowy peaks crowded around this mountain country lodge have appeared in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films, while the suites have done service to some of Hollywood’s top players. Helicopters take you into remote locations and jet boats fire you up the Dart Valley; but to get properly Lordly over the scenery, try riding horseback into the foothills. The sublime lake-view spa will soothe post-saddle aches. A lodge at the peak of its game, Blanket Bay is rightly celebrated, but it’s also surprisingly relaxed.
Don’t miss: a 4WD trip upthe Rees Valley with Dick Watson, an old bushman and gold-getter. LOTR fans will be thrilled to learn that he was also a Rider of Rohan in The Two Towers.
Doubles from £640
Manawa Ridge, Coromandel Peninsula
Using love, Zen and exotic timbers, Carla and Willem van de Veen have handcrafted a Gaudi-esque eyrie with 360-degree views over the Kaimai Ranges and Pacific bays. But the soothing artistry of the place soon has you looking inwards: to the music-filled courtyard, the cushion-filled watchtower and three suites with furnishings that are artworks by any other name. (A bathroom basin is fashioned from a giant tree burl.)In the Asian-inspired garden, Carla is happy to help you paint, draw or sculpt using volcanic rock 1.3m years old; Willem will lead you across the insanely angled 250-acre farm to collect herbs for dinner. A steep 45-minute walk has you in Homunga Bay: edged by soaring gulleys and ancient pohutukawa trees, with a waterfall spilling onto yellow sand, it should have been photographed to sell products invoking perfection. But it hasn’t.
Don’t miss: a starlit bath in your private, pebble-skinned spa.Doubles from £285
In three short years, this has become a jewel in the crownof luxury lodges, and there’s not a piece of polished steelin sight. Otahuna is an 1895 manorial show stopper, revived by two thirtysomething New Yorkers who spent £4.5m on making “old school” fashionable again.
Whether you’re in one of the seven lavish suites, the elegant dining room or the 30-acre grounds, you’re left feeling distinctly regal. Ironically, period photos show that guests such as the Duke of York, later George VI, never had it this good. Dining is extra-special: the chef, Jimmy McIntyre, invites guests to pick their favourite veggies from the kitchen garden, then devises five-course dinners around the selection.
Don’t miss: the reflection of Otahuna in the lake.Doubles from £660
Max Anderson travelled as a guest of Bridge & Wickers. All prices are for two people sharing, in high season (usually November to March)
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