Rural Luxury - Wharekauhau

Years (and years) ago, when I was working as a journalist for the Wairarapa Times Age in Masterton, I had a huge rural beat that covered every corner of the Wairarapa province. One of my early jobs there, was to travel down to Wharekauhau Lodge and interview the Shaw family who established it. That was way back before it became what it is today. The lodge was then located in the family homestead and still had a number of years to run before it brought in partners and developed into the luxury retreat (above) it is now.

I stayed at Wharekauhau in July (this was my room, photographed before I messed it up) during my Frommer's travel guide road trip and, coming at the tail end of my journey, it was a very welcome slump into total indolence and self-indulgence. Quite apart from the oh-so comfortable suites and the on-call treats, the landscape lends itself to rest and recuperation.

Wharekauhau nestles into a sheltered spot on a grassy plateau above the pounding seas of Palliser Bay, at the bottom of the North Island. When you travel down Western Lake Road passed Lake Wairarapa, it feels like you're heading for the bottom of the world - that's as it should be for a retreat but I often wonder what foreign guests think as the roads get skinnier and the landscape wilder the further south they go. It's part of a 5,500 acre working farm - one of the oldest Romney studs in New Zealand in fact, dating back to the mid-1800s; and guests willing to pay a bit extra, can get a guided tour of the property - that's especially popular in spring when 16,000-20,000 new lambs appear in the pastures, or in autumn, when the entire flock is mustered in for shearing.

The lodge itself is a sublime spot. There's the main lodge building, built along the lines of a fine Edwardian country mansion, where you can dine in style and throw yourself down into mountains of cushions in the grand living rooms. There's a stunning heated pool complex, tennis courts and clusters of 'cottages' set apart from the central building, giving guests fabulous views over the bay - and privacy from each other.

Wharepapa Cottage is further away - a private three bedroom holiday house; and Chateau Wellington sits just above the main lodge - a sumptuous 4,500 square foot, 3-bedroomed retreat that offers the ultimate in privacy and luxury for those who crave an escape with benefits. It was occupied by a group from Wellington when I was there - they'd all come over for a friend's 60th birthday party, hosted in the main dining room of the lodge and they all slipped quietly into the rural silence in the late afternoon, never to be seen again by other guests.

I'm often asked (in my travel guide writer capacity) what my favourite place to stay in New Zealand is. That's a tough question and one I always find extremely difficult to answer. New Zealand's top lodges at this uppermost level of accommodation are all outstanding. They're all located in spectacular landscapes and each one has a distinct character as a result of that and if I was forced to choose, I'd be hard-pressed to come to a decision. That said, I have always had a soft spot for the Wairarapa. It's vast spread of diverse landscapes is always an attraction - nowhere more so that at this southern tip around Cape Palliser. And Wharekauhau hospitality has an easy warmth to it, a quiet, assurance that's very easy to embrace. Set your foot across the threshold and you very quickly realise you don't have to worry about a thing. www.wharekauhau.co.nz

Meet the People - 30

Another in the Series Meet the People – Ordinary and Extraordinary New Zealanders Doing Interesting Things – Victoria Shaw is the general manager of the 5-star, private luxury hotel, Eichardt’s in Queenstown. So… does that mean she lives a life of luxury? “Yeah right! I always smile when people say they are going to build, buy or open a lodge so they can enjoy an idyllic lifestyle,” says Victoria. “I love what I do and you have to be passionate to stay in this business as long as I have – and yes, it can be glamorous. You get to attend some amazing events, you meet fascinating people, you eat great food and drink superb wine; but you also work long hours. You work when everyone else is on holiday (“I’ve had one Christmas off in 20 years); you deal with some difficult customers and you sacrifice friends and family. But I wouldn’t trade if for the world. I’m not sure any other industry could provide me with the satisfaction I’ve had to date,” she adds. Victoria was thrust into the tourism industry at an early age – just seven to be precise. That’s when her dad – “a true blue Kiwi farmer” - moved the family to a remote sheep station at the end of a No Exit gravel road, 40 kilometres south of Featherston on the rugged Palliser coastline. Her mother, in need of external stimulation, started marketing one of the farm’s empty cottages. That extended to opening the family home to farmstay guests and when Victoria was nine, they hosted their first international guests. That heralded the beginning of the now internationally recognised luxury property, Wharekauhau. It was all hands on deck for the family and Victoria spent most school holidays working in the lodge. Later, after completing her Business Studies degree, she returned to the lodge “for one more summer.” She stayed seven years, completing her chef training and later taking over as general manager. She moved to Queenstown to re-develop Eichardt’s (which her parents had subsequently purchased), after the 1999 floods. “Queenstown is a special place. It’s full of opportunity and people here really understand tourism. And then there is the natural beauty, the jetboating, fishing, walking……if you love the outdoors, Queenstown is a great place to be.” www.eichardtshotel.co.nz For others in this series click on Meet the People in the label line below this post.

A Place in the Country

Wharekauhau Country Estate. Photo supplied by Wharekauhau.

I used this photograph here a few months back but it was so small you probably needed a magnifying glass. I decided it deserved a better display. So here, once again, is the very gorgeous Wharekauhau Country Estate – a little piece of paradise that sits in splendid isolation at the very bottom of the North Island. If you have pockets stuffed with cash, I’m sure you’ll enjoy spending some of it here and you need never see another human being for the duration – if you so choose. www.wharekauhau.co.nz

Palliser Paradise

Wharekauhau Country Estate. Photos Supplied.
Cape Palliser at the southern tip of the North Island can be a wild, windswept place. That ought to be all the excuse anyone needs to curl up in the sublime comforts of Wharekauhau Country Estate. It’s the ultimate escape from the rat race – just you, the elements, a host of luxurious comforts, dozens of nearby Martinborough wineries and a 2,000 hectare working sheep station to explore. And then there’s the food – a delicious rotation of local seasonal ingredients presented in award-winning dishes that you can now ‘take home’ with you – well…… you can take home Wharekauhau’s new “Taste & Flavour Cookbook” at least. Signature dishes like the lodge’s Wild Native Bush Honeycomb Ice Cream are among the culinary secrets revealed. www.wharekauhau.co.nz