By Marika McElroy Cain
Pristine landscapes, divine dining, and giant trout: New Zealand’s flair for the dramatic is best seen up close.
Anyone suffering from the winter doldrums should consider the fact that rather than wait for spring to come to you, you can go to it. It’s worth the 13-hour flight to find yourself suddenly basking in antipodean sunshine and stepping lively across the surface of an active volcano. Or casting with a fly rod, hip-deep in a gin-clear stream. Or wandering along a deserted beach with a Maori elder.
New Zealand, which many travelers unfortunately tack onto an Australian holiday, is too rich to be a side dish – or even a single meal. Aside from its considerable attractions (sumptuous lodges, glassy sounds where pods of dolphins break through the reflections of jagged mountains, hillsides dotted with fluffy white sheep, feasts of fresh local bounty paired with inimitable wines), the country offers travelers a certain ease that is hard to come by in many destinations. Traffic jams usually consist of nothing more than a few cars piled up behind an overloaded pickup truck. The people are genuinely friendly, the exchange rate favorable, and domestic air travel a breeze. New Zealand has no poisonous animals, a mild climate, and skies a color of blue that’s likely not been seen in most American cities since the Lincoln administration.
My own first visit several years ago had been a hurried rush from the country’s northern tip to Queenstown in the south, with very little time to stop and smell the tree ferns. A return was inevitable, but the second time around, I vowed to dive into the country and let it really seep in. With my friend (and colleague) Korena in tow, I set out to give New Zealand its due.
Rather than attempting to canvass the entire country, we focused on the North Island. While the country’s rugged South Island – where maniac pursuits such as bungee jumping originated – draws adventurers for skiing, rafting, and remote backpacking, the North Island offers more subtle – and equally impressive – diversions. Tour operator Seasonz Travel mapped out eight days on the North Island in tidy detail. The itinerary started in volcanic Taupo, in the center of the island, home to the country’s largest lake and innumerable rivers and streams. Next: a move south to Hawke’s Bay, the windswept coastal wine region. Finally, we’d double back to the Bay of Islands in the north for a few days in the seaside hamlet of Russell.
Taupo: Fish tales and a lodge fit for the Queen
We arrived at Huka Lodge in Taupo on a full-tilt spring day. Lambs and calves gamboled across fields; a mallard marched her fluffy brood along a sunny riverbank; and everywhere, brilliant green life unfurled beneath the blue sky.
As landing pads go, they don’t get much softer than Huka. Established as a fishing camp in the 1920s, this riverside lodge has elevated coziness to an art form. It’s proper (Queen Elizabeth stays here), but never stuffy or overwrought: A grand fireplace and tartan carpeting decorate the main lodge, and 18 individual cottages have folding glass doors that open to the merrily rushing, Listerine-blue Waikato River outside. There are indoor and outdoor nooks for leisurely dinners – on a jetty overlooking the river, in the orchard, the library, and more. An embarrassment of activities beckons, but none quite as pleasurable as settling into a lounge chair on the lawn beside the river with a wool blanket, a glass of wine, and a book for an hour or two.
This trip, however, was not a hibernation, so we woke up early on our second day and drove an hour north to Rotorua, a literal hotbed of geothermal activity that steams with sulfurous billows from underground springs. It’s a popular – if fragrant – spa destination. We bypassed the mud baths and headed to a heliport at the edge of town, where our pilot, Dave, issued us life vests and helped us into a tidy red four-seat helicopter.
The helicopter thwacked out across the Pacific Ocean, above dark water and white Australasian gannets flying in formation. Thirty miles off the coast, a steaming islet came into view, and the scent of sulfur seeped into our chariot. Dave set us down on the cratered islet’s surface, and we stepped out wearing the latest in volcanic chic (hard hats, gas masks) and feeling like we’d arrived on a distant planet.
White Island, a mostly submerged active volcano, draws tourists from the mainland and scientists who monitor and study its burps and gurgles. Flumes spewed steam, streams trickled red with minerals, and neon yellow sulfur crystals bloomed across the rocks. A pair of scientists poked around some fumaroles in the distance as Dave escorted us to what looked like the HVAC outlet for the underworld. Clouds of steam whooshed from a massive vent. A bile-green lake simmered nearby (its pH makes battery acid seem as benign as a glass of milk). We sipped fresh air through our gas masks and thrilled a little at knowing the whole place could – in theory – go “kaboom” at any moment.
Not to be outdone by a mere volcano, fishing guide Chris Brennan bounded in the door at Huka the next morning. “Are we ready, then?” he asked, ushering us into his green Land Cruiser. As he drove, he regaled us with tales of 14-pound trout and fishing with Barbra Streisand until we pulled off the road in front of a nondescript fence. We hopped over in our bulky waders, laughing hard and running to keep up with him, scrambled through a grove of evergreens, into some underbrush, and down a steep bank.
What followed was two blissful hours of casting for trout: The stream babbled, our lines gently thwip-thwapped upstream and down, birds sang, and, with no small amount of help, Korena and I, gleeful as kids, hooked three gorgeous rainbow trout, then released them back into the stream. Fishing in New Zealand, it seems, is hardly fair to the trout: The water is so clear and the fish so plentiful, you just spot the fish you want upstream, follow it with your line, and wait for a nibble.
HAWKE’S BAY:
WIDE-OPEN SPACES AND MAORI HOSPITALITY After the snugness of Huka Lodge, looking out over rugged Hawke’s Bay from The Lodge at Cape Kidnappers felt like throwing the curtains open on New Zealand’s majesty. A brawny country-chic estate owned by American gazillionaire Julian Robertson, the property presides over a 6,000-acre working sheep station and a golf course. Vintage tractor seats hang above the bed, barn-door-style dividers separate the generous bathroom from the sleeping area, and a private balcony showcases the 800-foot cliffs where Captain Cook’s Tahitian translator was supposedly kidnapped by local Maoris.
In the area, a one-hour flight southeast of Auckland, travelers peruse the charming art deco town of Napier, loll on dramatic beaches, and taste local vintages at renowned wineries such as Black Barn. But with only two days, we turned to Brigid Ormond, the area’s best tour guide. After a quick loop through Napier, where we vowed to return for shopping, we sampled our way through a farmers’ market in Hastings, snagging fresh bread and locally made cheese for lunch, and then headed for the coast.
At the end of a gravel road in the tiny town of Waimarama, a salt-scrubbed beach cabin looked out over the endless blue Pacific. Orini Gillies, a Maori woman with short aubergine hair and traditional moko (tattooing) on her lips and chin, walked toward us, chanting a formal three-part Maori greeting and pressing her nose to each of ours, as is customary. As we strolled barefoot along the beach, she talked about growing up there, before the shore was dotted with vacation homes, and about spending days fishing and riding her horse. “When I had to move away for work,” she said, “I pined for this land.” Having spent less than an hour listening to the waves and drinking in the sweep of sand and hills bristling with evergreens, knowing I had to leave soon, I was already pining for it too.
Back on the cabin’s porch we found a spread that would make Martha Stewart feel inhospitable. Orini busied herself cooking abalone that her husband had just brought in from a dive, then added it to Brigid’s contributions of salmon and homemade lamb chops with chutney, crusty farmers’ market bread with cheese, tart feijoa juice, avocado, and tomato. It would have been enough to end the trip there, laughing with Orini and Brigid like old friends and listening to the waves break. But we had one more stop to make.
BAY OF ISLANDS:
VILLA LIFE AND CATAMARAN CRUISING
The Bay of Islands is a subtropical scattering of 150 islets where the nation of New Zealand was born from an 1840 treaty between the Maori and British settlers. Today it’s a pleasant holiday spot, with marinas fronting little seaside towns and acres of sandy beaches. Russell, the former capital of the country and the prettiest of these towns, is reachable by a tiny car ferry from nearby Opua. Because of its peninsular location, authorities have been able to eliminate nonnative predators, turning the area into a sanctuary for the kiwi, New Zealand’s national symbol. While there’s little hope of seeing these shy nocturnal dust mops, residents hear them often at night. “Just listen for the sound of a strangled cat,” one Russellite advised.
After a week of formal breakfasts, cocktail hours, and four-course dinners, Eagles Nest provided a welcome change of pace. The five-villa, 75-acre property in Russell favors a laissez-faire luxe. The villas, which vary in size and design, are all outfitted with full kitchens and stocked with breakfast fixings and snacks. Want Thai takeout from town? Staff will bring it in. Prefer a bespoke feast? A private chef will whip up a meal in your villa’s kitchen. Our three-bedroom, three-bath hideaway had a cool gray-on-white color scheme, a wraparound deck (all the better to showcase the sparkling sea view), an infinity pool and a hot tub, plus a back patio with a grill.
It’s fine to contemplate the Bay of Islands from your private villa’s deck, but in order to really see the area, you have to take to the water. We chartered the 54-foot Cool Change, a catamaran with revolutionary twin carbon-fiber masts designed in collaboration with America’s Cup Team New Zealand, and spent half a day cruising deserted coves, watching bottlenose dolphins leap in the distance, and dangling our feet over the turquoise depths. Before lunch, we moored off tiny Roberton Island and beachcombed on a shore sprinkled with thousands of pink, white, and lavender shells. Golden sand ringed many of the islands, where New Zealanders spend their summer holidays camping. Afterward, we wandered through Russell’s two-street downtown, eating gelato and making plans for future adventures.
On our final evening, as we crammed our homeward-bound suitcases with purchases of honey, wool socks, and art, the private chef arrived. By the time we’d finished packing, a feast waited on our dining room table: grilled scallops, ceviche with mango salsa, steamed snapper with lemon and lime, barbecued prawns.
As I drifted off to sleep that night, I heard a poo-WEEP, poo-WEEP, poo-WEEP from the manuka and kanuka trees surrounding the villa. Kiwis, it turns out, sound more like hiccupping peacocks than strangled cats. If you don’t believe me, I’d suggest booking the next available flight to New Zealand to hear for yourself.
NEED-TO-KNOW NORTH ISLAND
How to go, what to do, and where to stay.
The shortest 13-hour flight you’ll ever take: Qantas business class from LA to Auckland. Order dinner from the Neil Perry-created menu, watch a movie or two with noise-canceling headphones, then recline your seat into a bed and wake up in time for breakfast and arrival, jet lag free.
Air New Zealand also offers flights from LA and San Francisco to Auckland, and hundreds of domestic flights make in-country travel easy.
Seasonz Travel greeted us at the Auckland airport with driving directions, domestic air vouchers, local cell phones, and instructions to call anytime with questions. The eight-day trip had us fly-fishing, exploring a volcano by private helicopter, meeting a Maori elder in Hawke’s Bay, and sailing in the Bay of Islands. Departures: Any day through 2010, customizable itinerary from $26,850 for two, including accommodations, all activities, most meals, and rental car.
During nine days down under with Southern World New Zealand, travelers stay at Treetops, Wharekauhau, and Kauri Cliffs lodges, take a food-and-wine tour of Martinborough, land atop sacred Mount Tara-wera in a helicopter, and cruise the
Bay of Islands aboard a 72-foot motor yacht. Departures: Any day through 2010; customizable itinerary from $7,670 per person, including accommodations, most meals, and activities.
Among the five private villas at Eagles Nest, the top spot is the owners’ villa, Rahimoana, a contemporary four-bedroom palace perched at the top of a hill with 320-degree views of the Bay of Islands. One- and three-bedroom villas have private pools and full kitchens. Villas from $1,275, including breakfast and snack provisions and a bottle of Champagne.
Flourishes such as fresh shortbread in rooms, no phones or televisions (unless requested), attentive-but-unfussy service, and a stunning riverside location have made 18-room Huka Lodge in Taupo one of New Zealand’s most popular. Doubles from $700, including breakfast, predinner cocktails, and dinner, plus one lunch for two.
Kauri Cliffs and its famed golf course look out over Matauri Bay near the north end of North Island. The 22 cottage-style suites with private porches stand at the edge of native forest, which is home to a majestic 700-year-old kauri tree. Doubles from $1,080, including breakfast, predinner cocktails, and dinner, plus a guided nature walk or Maori greenstone carving.
Travelers visit the 24-room Lodge at Cape Kidnappers in southerly Hawke’s Bay for fine dining, golf on the cliffside par-71 course, tours of the resident gannet
colony, and views of the ocean and surrounding 6,000-acre working farm. Doubles from $1,270, including breakfast, predinner cocktails, and dinner, plus a gannet colony tour.
A glam 13-suite hideaway overlooking Auckland’s city harbor, Mollies is a great spot for an urban overnight before a New Zealand lodge tour. Decor runs to animal prints and sleek white leather sofas, and every suite has a private balcony. Doubles from $370, including breakfast and one spa bath.
Forested seclusion reigns at Treetops Lodge near Rotorua. The 12-room hideaway is a plush base for fishing, hunting, and hiking in the rugged surroundings. Doubles from $1,065, including breakfast, predinner cocktails, and dinner, plus a guided hike and one lunch or a $50 spa credit.
At 12-cottage Wharekauhau Lodge & Country Estate on Palliser Bay at the south end of North Island, guests can roam the working sheep farm on horseback, surf cast in the bay, or sample their way through the wine cellar’s local vintages. Doubles from $430, including breakfast, predinner cocktails, dinner, and a $70 activity credit.