Remote Luxury Lodges on the Very Edge
For those of us who can’t build a billion-dollar bolt-hole like director James Cameron or investor Julian Robertson, a stay at one of New Zealand’s luxury lodges sprinkled throughout the North Island’s most stunning locales – Northland, Taupo, Hawke’s Bay, and Palliser Bay – is perhaps the next best thing, according to Vogue’s Nadine Jolie Courtney.
“Bang in the centre of the North Island sits Australasia’s largest freshwater lake: Lake Taupo. About 3.5 hours from Auckland and 4.5 hours from Wellington (a much quicker nip, of course, should you make the journey by helicopter or private plane), the scenery leading to Taupo is New Zealand at its finest: undulating verdant hills against a backdrop of snow-capped volcanoes.
“While New Zealand is now chockablock with luxury lodges, for years, there was only Huka Lodge [pictured]. Located on the banks of the Waikato River mere feet from mighty Huka Falls, the property was founded in 1924 and has long been known as the ne plus ultra of luxury in New Zealand. (Its most famous guest: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.) While it began as a fishing lodge – the hotel is renowned for both fly-fishing and harling, its adjacent river abundantly stocked with rainbow and brown trout – Huka’s humble origins are offset by the hotel’s commitment to casual elegance: The 18 junior lodge suites, single lodge suite, and two grand cottages offer wood trimmings, French doors flung open onto private terraces, heated floors, and generously sized walk-in closets. The hotel also features a helipad, tennis courts, swimming pool, and offers in-room massages and spa treatments.
“Close by is another secluded retreat tailor-made for those seeking to go off the grid in style: The Lodge at Kinloch. Opened last year and nestled within the grounds of The Kinloch Club, New Zealand’s only Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course, The Lodge was designed by Virginia Fisher – the legendary talent behind Huka Lodge’s facelift, as well as Kauri Cliffs, Wharekauhau, and Queentown’s Eichardt’s.”
Courtney also recommends: Northland’s Kauri Cliffs and Helena Bay, The Landing in the Bay of Islands and The Farm at Cape Kidnappers.
Original article by Nadine Jolie Courtney, Vogue, March 6, 2017.
