Tag Archives: NZ Luxury Lodges

Magic Manifested

Magic Manifested

Hedge fund billionaire Julian Robertson Jr. first visited New Zealand in 1978 on a year-long sabbatical from his asset manager’s job at Kidder, Peabody. The year in New Zealand turned out to be fruitful….

Wilderness gold

Wilderness gold

“Just like the safari camp and the ski chalet, the New Zealand lodge is a triumph of reinvention, the transformation of a utilitarian wilderness refuge into tourism gold,” writes The Sydney Morning Herald’s Max…

Children Allowed

Children Allowed

At the “sophisticated” Poronui Lodge near Lake Taupo The Sydney Morning Herald’s Max Anderson is relieved to find there is also room for his six-year-old boys. “It’s a little-known fact that most of New…

Lakeside Hedonism

Lakeside Hedonism

Blanket Bay luxury lodge on the shores of Lake Wakatipu is the starting point for any adventure a guest can imagine, but it is also home to some very fine cuisine, according to The…

Worth the Air Miles

Worth the Air Miles

New Zealand could be the most “luxurious destination of all” according to Canadian newspaper The Vancouver Sun in an article which promotes Rotorua’s Treetops Lodge and Estate, Waiheke Island and Peter Gordon’s Dine. “In…

Worthy Splurges and Brilliant Bargains

Worthy Splurges and Brilliant Bargains

Two NZ luxury lodges feature in Tatler’s annual hotel guide for 2008. Otahuna Lodge, Christchurch, and Matakauri Lodge, Queenstown, were named two of the world’s 101 Best Hotels by the British society…

Deluxe Digs

Deluxe Digs

NZ has added another luxury lodge to its collection this month, with the opening of The Farm at Cape Kidnappers. The Hawkes Bay property is set on a 6,000-acre sheep and cattle farm, and…

New Zealand Riviera

New Zealand Riviera

To entice buyers to a resort development, Pip Cheshire and Terry Hunziker designed a rustic guest lodge Bay of Islands, a remote spot about 150 miles northeast of Auckland. Located in a part of…

Kiwi Content for Oscars Loot

Kiwi Content for Oscars Loot

This year’s official Oscars goodie-bag – handed out to every presenter, performer and nominee – included a trip for two to NZ, with accommodation at Treetops Luxury Lodge & Estate in Rotorua. With recipients including Julia Roberts,…

The High Life

The High Life

The opening in March of NZ’s first and only luxury alpine retreat – the Whare Kea Chalet – rates a mention in both the Guardian and  Observer. Guests reach the chalet via a “dazzling” 15…

Sideline Action

Sideline Action

With all eyes on Australasia for the Rugby World Cup, an Observer travel feature looks at new attractions on offer in the region. Included is the West Coast’s Wave Watchers Retreat (“a romantic bolthole with great…

It’s a Dirty Job, but Someone’s Got to Do It.

It’s a Dirty Job, but Someone’s Got to Do It.

SMH travel writer tours NZ in the lap of luxury, reviewing the likes of Huka Lodge, Okiato, Kauri Cliffs and Whare Kea. The verdict? “Lodges provide some of the country’s finest accommodation … They are…

NZ Condé Nast Hot Spots

NZ Condé Nast Hot Spots

US Conde Nast Traveler’s influential “hot list” names the Auckland Hilton, Eagle’s Nest in the Bay of Islands, and the lodge at Kauri Cliffs as the premier places to stay in NZ. Auckland’s 

Southern Edge of Life

Southern Edge of Life

Get April’s GQ off the stand for Stewart Island savvy: “Stewart Island, on the Southern edge of life, where the foam is white, the hills are green and the necks are red, is a blast” and…

Hot Lodge!

Hot Lodge!

Old-world charm is losing out to “far-flung destinations favoured by the elite such as game lodges in South Africa, Caribbean idylls, palatial hotels in India and New Zealand lodges.

The Coolness of the Kiwi Wild

The Coolness of the Kiwi Wild

From the Evening Standard online edition: “Huka Lodge epitomised the essence of New Zealand: a seductive blend of wilderness and sophistication. The scenery is still jaw-droppingly beautiful … but since I visited five years ago it seems that boringly…