Best Luxury Lodges in the North Island

The North Island’s “enchanting” luxury lodges are reviewed in a travel piece by Forbes contributor, Amber Gibson, who visits Huka Lodge (pictured), Wharekauhau Country Estate and The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs.

“First conceived as a simple fishing lodge on the Waikato River in 1924 by Irishman Alan Pye, Huka Lodge has been the grande dame of New Zealand luxury lodges since Dutchman Alex van Heeren purchased the property in 1984 and transformed it into the beloved lodge it is today,” Gibson writes. “Bathroom skylights offer ideal lighting and it’s just a few steps from the terrace to the river’s edge. Fishing is still a favourite pastime, although the diverse offerings also include jetboating at nearby Huka Falls, horseback riding and helicopter tours of Lake Taupo.

“The most enchanting and glamorous sheep station in all of New Zealand, Wharekauhau is just a 10-minute helicopter ride (or 90-minute drive) from Wellington, New Zealand’s hip capital.

“Driving in, you’ll notice trees growing slanted due to the strong prevailing winds, and suddenly around one of Palliser Bay’s many bends, the lodge appears. It’s a textbook reveal, an establishing shot of the quintessential agrarian escape, like something out of a movie. Is it a coincidence that filmmaker James Cameron and Peter Jackson both have homes in the Wairarapa? Cameron’s neighbourhood farm supplies honey, vegetables, hemp and walnuts for the lodge and plant-based eatery Food Forest Organics in nearby Greytown.”

Original article by Amber Gibson, Forbes, January 3, 2019.