Sheep Ranch Deluxe

Wairarapa’s Wharekauhau Country Estate is given a rapturous write-up in the IHT. “A temple to order and calm, the Estate is located on the southern tip of the North Island of NZ, where the prevailing winds from the north and south often collide to create tempests of mythical proportions.” The author takes stock of the growing number of world class lodges spread about NZ: “All feature the finest NZ produce and wines, and all trade well on the country’s seemingly infinite stock of jaw-dropping natural beauty, and some combination of gentlemen’s pursuits … or adrenalin-based activities like heli-skiing or quad biking. The result is fresher and more inspired than the traditional Scottish fishing lodge, and more down-to-earth and international than the American equivalent.”