Defining Experience

“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,” writes Max Anderson for the Times Online. “Chief among these is wilderness, something that New Zealand —  populated by just 4 million people —  has in excess.” Anderson recommends six lodges “offering something fresh and fine”: Manawa Ridge, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers, Whare Kea Lodge and Chalet, Wharekauhau, Blanket Bay and Otahuna Lodge. “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.”