I stayed at 3 of New Zealand's best luxury lodges, it was incredible

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The first few tentative steps atop the white snowy caps of New Zealand's Southern Alps are not what I expected.
From a distance, the ancient glaciers appear as a soft blanket of freshly fallen snow blanketing the mountaintops, not the hard, compacted ice we find when our helicopter lands among Fiordland National Park's highest peaks.
'Edmund Hillary climbed that peak three times in training before he tackled Everest,' our pilot says, pointing at Mount Tutoko. 'Sadly, these glaciers are disappearing. I remember seeing those mountain peaks covered in snow, not exposed like that.'
His commentary forces me to put down my camera and take in the precious moment; breathe in the crisp, clean air and marvel at the silence and glaring whiteness stretched out before me.
Mercedes Maguire on a helitour of Fiordland National Park.
We were picked up from the front lawn of Blanket Bay luxury lodge for a helitour of Fiordland National Park. En route, our pilot points out the remote cabin on the edge of Lake Wakatipu where Brad Pitt's still-in-production film Heart of the Beast recently wrapped filming, and fans of The Lord of the Rings and Mission Impossible: Fallout movies will recognise the scenery of the lake sandwiched between mountains.
The Southern Alps is the final stop in a multi-lodge holiday of New Zealand. New Zealand's lodges are different to those anywhere else – often in remote, natural settings, they offer the perfect combo of intimate service, amazing food and genuine sustainability. I like to think of this trip, which will include a stay in three of the country's best luxury lodges, as a bit like an island-hopping adventure with a twist – lodge leaping, perhaps?
The Otahuna Lodge mansion dates back to 1895.
First stop
Otahuna Lodge may be just 30 minutes from Christchurch Airport, but it has getting-away-from-it-all vibes. The seven-room Queen Anne mansion – built in 1895 by politician Sir Heaton Rhodes for his new bride, Jessie – comes into view on approach along the long gravel driveway.
Hall Cannon and Miles Refo took on the then-crumbling pile in 2006 (left derelict after its time as a Christian monastery and a 1960s hippie commune), opening the largest private historic property in New Zealand after a year-long restoration.
My room is a light-drenched space styled in modern Victorian with high ceilings, a wood-burning fireplace and a large recessed picture window overlooking the grounds.
The Botanical Suite at Otahuna Lodge.
It was once the room of the lady of the house, and I'm happy to be its latest occupant, even if it's just for the night. While the lodge operates as a fine hotel under the Relais & Châteaux banner, it feels more like I'm a guest in a private country home, each room a perfect blend of authentic old and comfortable new. There's no minibar or television in my room, for example, because they didn't have them in Jessie's time. But on the main landing, an old timber sideboard serving as a shared minibar heaves with freshly baked friands and Anzac biscuits, tea, coffee and cold drinks.
The extensive gardens were remodelled into a series of spaces that are like living jewellery boxes – the Dutch garden, rose garden, orchard and a 130-variety fruit and vegetable patch that inspires executive chef Jimmy McIntyre's seasonal menus. Guests are encouraged to book cooking demonstrations and garden tours for the full experience.
Hall waves us off the next morning, after a country breakfast that included a delicious multigrain no-knead bread made from a 100-year-old recipe in New Zealand's beloved Edmonds Cookery Book, farm fresh eggs, homemade jams, honey and muesli.
Whare Cottage at Wharekauhau Lodge.
North Island hop
A short plane trip to Wellington and a helicopter ride across the water (or a 90-minute drive) takes us to our second stop, Wharekauhau. If Otahuna Lodge is reminiscent of an old English hunting lodge, Wharekauhau is more like a luxe farmstay, cradled between the Remutaka mountains and Palliser Bay.
The main building is the hub for meals, activity-planning, evening drinks, exercise or just a place to hang out, while the accommodation is away from the lodge in 16 cottage suites and a villa.
Wharekauhau has a dedicated 'activity outfitter' and planning your days over cocktails in the formal lounge is all part of the experience. We toured the 1200ha estate on ATV quad bikes (keeping an eye out for movie-director neighbour James Cameron), hand-fed eels, went clay-target shooting and walked the black-sand beach at Palliser Bay – and that was without leaving the estate. A 45-minute drive takes you to the charming town of Martinborough, a great spot for lunch and shopping and the home of Lighthouse Gin, run by New Zealand's first female head distiller, Rachel Hall.
Refusing to get caught up in the 'crazy-flavoured gin trend', Hall produces a core range of three gins: Original, Navy Strength and Barrel Aged, all made using nine botanicals and spring water from Wharekauhau.
The picturesque Blanket Bay lodge at dusk.
And back south
The luxury lodge trifecta finishes at picture-perfect Blanket Bay, 45 minutes from Queenstown Airport. There are eight rooms in the main lodge plus four chalets and a four-bedroom villa elsewhere on the estate.
The area is a perfect base for adventure activities like horse riding, ziplining, bungee jumping, helifishing, hiking and jetboating. But with a helipad on the grounds, flights over nearby Milford Sound and the glaciers of the Southern Alps are the ultimate local experience.
Our pilot tells us that what appears to be dirt on the glacier tops is actually ash from Australian bushfires. That doesn't stop me bending to scoop the water, drip-fed from a glacier to a small steam, into my mouth. It's crisp, perfectly chilled and delicious. And after a week of pure indulgence, it seems like a fitting finale to New Zealand.
The writer was a guest of Relais & Châteaux.
The lodges
Otahuna, 30 minutes from Christchurch Airport. Rooms from $NZ2600 a night for two adults twin share (about $2411). Wharekauhau, 90 minutes from Wellington. Rooms from $2700 a night for two adults twin share (about $2472). Blanket Bay, 40 minutes from Queenstown. Rooms from $NZ2250 a night for two adults twin share (about $2086).
Originally published as I stayed at 3 of New Zealand's best luxury lodges, it was incredible

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6 hours ago

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I spent 48 hours in the Yukon, this is the ultimate 2 day itinerary

Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. Whitehorse, the capital of the Canadian territory of Yukon, is famous for its nightlife. But forget clubs and bars; up here – at the gateway to the subarctic – Mother Nature is in charge of the after-dark entertainment. Travellers flock to this tiny northern outpost, population about 30,000, to glimpse the aurora borealis (aka Northern Lights). But if you can keep your eyes open in daylight hours, this snow-blanketed frontier town on the banks of the mighty Yukon River has much to explore, including a fascinating melting pot of natural history, First Nations culture and pioneering tales, as well as wildlife, hot springs and even ice fishing. DAY 1: Morning Step off the plane and go back in time 2.5 million years. Next to the airport, at the end of a short forest trail, is the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre. This prehistoric time capsule is a window into the last ice age when Canada was covered in 1km-thick ice and a land bridge existed between Siberia and North America, providing passage for megafauna such as the woolly mammoth. See their fossils up close, together with a 55,000-year-old mummified wolf. Arriving in Whitehorse, you'll be surprised how navigable this compact little city is on foot. Start on the banks of the Yukon River at the Healing Totem, a tribute to Whitehorse's version of the Stolen Generations. Here, in the Traditional Territories of Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Ta'an Kwäch'än Council, you can gaze across North America's third-longest river as mist rises from its frozen fringes. Visit the nearby MacBride Museum, adjoining the 1898 telegraph station, and learn about the history of the Yukon, from First Nation's occupation 14,000 years ago to the fur traders and gold prospectors who put Whitehorse on the map as a stopover en route to the Klondike goldfields downstream. Take the river trail north to Shipyards Park, a dry dock during the gold rush where you can ice skate in winter. At the southern end of the trail, see the SS Klondike, one of Canada's last remaining steam-powered paddlewheelers. Downtown Whitehorse is conveniently walkable. Afternoon Drop in for lunch at Burnt Toast Cafe in 2nd Ave, a block back from the river. Housed in one of the city's original buildings, this all-day diner serves a mean brunch, pimped-up sandwiches (the Hot Italian, for instance, includes prosciutto, spicy capicola and pesto) and lashings of Canada's national dish, poutine – fries with cheese curds and gravy. Check in to Best Western Gold Rush Inn in Main Street. You know you're in the Yukon when there's an enormous moose head in the lobby. The adjoining Gold Pan Saloon, with its pressed-metal ceiling and candelabra chandeliers, is an atmospheric spot for a drink. Pop in to Lumel Studios, the hottest destination in Whitehorse – quite literally. The family-owned glass-blowing studio enables visitors to make their own Yukon souvenir. Choose a design and colours and the staff will help you ease a molten orb at the end of a blowpipe in and out of the furnace, burning at more than 1000°C. Take a seat at the on-site eatery, Gather Café and Taphouse, and enjoy a Mexican-inspired feast of tacos and cocktails. Glass blowing workshop at Lumel Studios. Picture: Andrew Strain Evening It's showtime! Join Northern Tales for a guided aurora viewing. The team will pick you up from the hotel at 10pm and take you to a remote site with a clear view of the night sky, free from light pollution. Cast your eyes skyward as a witch's brew of green light pulses and streaks across the heavens. When the cold seeps into your bones, warm up by the campfire or in one of the toasty log cabins where a midnight feast of snacks awaits. Aurora spotting is the major attraction in Whitehorse. DAY 2: Morning Sleep in and grab breakfast on the run at Baked, a bustling café that does an excellent bacon breakfast croissant to go. While you eat your pastry morsel, make your way to the Old Log Church in Elliott St. Resembling a set from Little House on the Prairie, the quaint church is across the road from a mural depicting old-town Whitehorse. Don't miss the quirky three-storey 'Log Skyscraper' in nearby Lambert Street. Drive out to Yukon Wildlife Preserve, a 140ha sanctuary about half an hour north of Whitehorse. Take the 5km trail around the preserve, home to 12 species of animals including moose, elk, bison, caribou, Arctic foxes and two very shy Canada lynx (you can also opt for a hop-on-hop-off bus tour). Far from a zoo, the preserve is in a natural setting with large enclosures and is your best chance to see local wildlife up close. Wander to the Old Log Church Museum in Whitehorse. Afternoon Warm up across the road from the preserve at Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs, an outdoor bathing complex with steam rooms, a relaxation room and saunas . If it's cold enough (-20C°) you can even enter the frozen hair competition – it's a thing! Dry off and grab a bite to eat back in Whitehorse at Bullet Hole Bagels, a scrumptious bakery serving Montreal-style sangas with your choice of bread and filling. Rug up once more for an epic ice-fishing expedition with North Country Outdoor Adventures. An afternoon with owner Kyle Callbeck starts with a pick-up in his Ford F 150, ahem, pick-up truck. Soon you're zipping through a spruce tree forest in a sled behind a skimobile and sweeping across a frozen lake. Once in position, Kyle drills a 20cm hole through the ice, pops up a tent, fires up the heater and – hey, presto – you dangle a fishing line into the icy water below. Success! Ice fishing with Kyle from North County Outdoor Adventures. Picture: Justin Kennedy Evening Join Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip for dinner at the Woodcutter's Blanket. The royals' portraits adorn the walls beside a pair of caribou antlers at this cosy restaurant-brewery in a 1930s log cabin. If you didn't manage to catch a fish dinner, fear not, the bison Bolognese here is the bomb. Do not retire just yet. You're in the Yukon and sleep is for suckers. Every night is another chance to glimpse the northern lights. The Northern Lights over McIntyre Creek near Whitehorse. Picture: Peter Mather The writer was a guest of Travel Yukon and Destination Canada. How to get to Whitehorse, Canada from Australia Air Canada flies direct to Vancouver from Sydney and Brisbane with connections to Whitehorse in the Yukon. Originally published as I spent 48 hours in the Yukon, this is the ultimate 2 day itinerary

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20 hours ago

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I'm a beach club aficionado, these are the world's best beach clubs

Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. You can't skip the beach clubs of Mykonos. Or so I told my friends a few summers ago as we marched along the sand of Psarou like a troop of pleasure-seeking boy scouts. Nammos is king of the beach clubs, the Mount Olympus of revelry, whose sunbeds are snapped up like hotcakes and whose teal-striped parasols have a mythical aura. 'Space for three?' I asked brightly, surveying the heaving scene. 'We're full,' a staffer replied with a mix of pity and disdain. Flustered, I broke out my broken Greek – miraculously the sea of bodies parted. 'Why didn't you tell me you were Greek?' said the now effusive hostess, before ejecting three unsuspecting German guests from their loungers. X SUBSCRIBER ONLY I felt a twinge of guilt, but as we sipped our Frozen Spritzes, lolled in the viridian water and swayed to electronic beats under the Aegean sun, it soon subsided. The chaises were €100 each (they go for even more these days) but our afternoon at Nammos was one for the ages – a euphoric day out, which somehow justified the Croesus-level spend. Nammos is one of Mykonos' most glamorous beach clubs. Beach clubs are my (sandy) Achilles' heel. There's something irresistible about the combination of sun, sand and Daiquiri-fuelled hedonism. It may have something to do with not really having beach clubs here in Australia. We're too egalitarian for such elitist pursuits, apparently. In comparison to the louche playgrounds of southern Europe, our coastal gatherings seem puritanical and parochial. When orderly rows of sunbeds meet disorderly carousing it's almost always a gas. Beach, blanket, bada bing! When I'm abroad, I seek them out. As its name attests, Carpe Diem on the Croatian island of Hvar is all about seizing the day. I found that it's also about nabbing the night. We arrived at the waterfront for sunset drinks bar and, galvanised by our new clique of international friends, migrated to the nearby isle of Marinkovac for a raucous after-party. A fleet of water-taxis ferried revellers back and forth. A fan of exit strategies, I asked our driver to wait – handy when everyone bolted at the same time. Carpe Diem beach club on the Croatian island of Hvar. One of the headiest beach boites is Bagni Fiore near Portofino. On the day I visited it resembled a shoot for Italian Vogue, not least because its bamboo furnishings were dressed in Dior's signature pattern. The apex of aperitivo, the menu included Caprese salad with anchovies, tuna carpaccio and vermouth cocktails. My lounger was on a deck cantilevered over the water. From this picture-perfect vantage, I watched the sun bounce off Paraggi Bay like a strobe light. Another favourite is Maçakizi on the Turkish Riviera, a beach club so buzzing it doesn't even need a beach. An extension of the hotel in Bodrum, festooned with chains of bougainvillea, its waterfront deck is protected by a retractable awning. A little wave caught the attention of staffers who used a long rod to adjust the glare. The regulars tend to dazzle, too. Maçakizi is a magnet for stylish Istanbulis, jet-setters and yachties who leap across each other's boats to reach the dock. The food is a drawcard at Mykonos' Nammos beach club. Judging by the lissome individuals who gravitate to these places, you might assume food isn't a priority. But the leading beach clubs of Europe, in an attempt to stand out from the pack, have ratcheted up their culinary offerings. Nammos has a glammed-up taverna serving hearty plates of grilled octopus, baked saganaki and mussels in white wine as good as anywhere. At Assaona in Mallorca, a chiringuito with fringed umbrellas, I was wowed by its exquisitely grilled sea bass topped with Padrón peppers. At Beachouse Ibiza, it was the spinach croquetas and pineapple cócteles that inspired me to return for another spell. You could write a hefty coffee-table book on the history of beach clubs, and their fusion of grit and glamour. The French era of the '50s was pivotal to the genre's development. That's when venues like Club 55 in Saint-Tropez emerged, and Hollywood starlets Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren and Brigitte Bardot flocked to the Riviera. In the 1956 film And God Created Woman, Roger Vadim captured Bardot gambolling on the sand of the Tahiti Beach club – launching both to the world. The French are also responsible for 'Hamptons water', aka Whispering Angel rosé from Provence, which seems to be the dainty drink of choice for so many beachside revellers. Personally, I can't stand it. Too insipid. Nikki Beach has expanded from Miami (pictured) to locations around the world. Nikki Beach, born in Miami in 1998, was one of the earliest clubs to champion a bacchanalian vibe with DJ sets, all-white decor and spontaneous dancing in crochet bikinis. Its approach has clearly worked: the brand has expanded to St Barts, Santorini and Dubai among other urbane stops. It's also spawned a glitzy hotel, for guests who never want the party to end. Here's where I draw a line in the sand. The Nikki version feels formulaic and flashy. It verges on Real Housewives terrain – like it was scripted for cameras. Maybe I'm a lush but I enjoy a tipple by the water and it doesn't need to come with an exorbitant entry fee. For that, nowhere can compete with Rio and the ramshackle bars on Ipanema with waiters shaking up fruit-filled cocktails – an Amazonian jungle of citrus arrayed on rickety tables. Before me were some of the most genetically gifted people in the world, preening, parading and playing soccer in the shallows. I needed a bracing drink to match this cavalcade of beauty, and the lush Passion Fruit Caipirinha was it. Not every sandy soirée puts decadence above all else. Potato Head Beach Club in Bali is devoted to 'regenerative hospitality' – accenting sustainability and hosting a raft of wellness workshops. You can enjoy an arak-fuelled sundowner while watching Seminyak's skyline, and you could also arrive earlier for a meditation, sound healing or breathwork session. It's a holistic hotspot – I'm ready for it. Originally published as I'm a beach club aficionado, these are the world's best beach clubs

Perth Now

a day ago

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Swimmers strip down and the ocean during winter solstice

Swimmers have stripped off and braved brisk waters on the shortest day of the year. Wearing nothing but red swim caps, 3000 souls took the annual nude sunrise plunge into Hobart's River Derwent to mark the winter solstice on Saturday. The water temperature was about 13C as the naked pack took to the river at 7.40am, sparking shrieks and anguished yells. Liz Cannard, who has been travelling around Tasmania for almost four months with her husband, said she was petrified before taking the dip. 'I'm not a strong swimmer and I don't take my gear off for anybody ... so I've ticked off a couple of things today,' the Geelong resident said. HOBART, AUSTRALIA- NewsWire Photos- JUNE 21, 2025. Dark Mofo Nude Solstice Swim 2025 at Long Beach Sandy Bay. Nikki Davis-Jones/ NewsWire Credit: NCA NewsWire Lizzy Nash from Sydney was also in the mood for a bit of carpe diem. 'It's about seizing the moment, seizing life and being inspired,' she said. 'This is the sort of thing that motivates you to want to do more and challenge yourself. It was awe-inspiring and I absolutely loved it.' The free swim is part of the Dark Mofo festival and started with just a few hundred participants in 2013. Melburnian Belinda Chambers has been watching people do it on television for years and decided to work remotely from Tasmania for the festival so she could stay and leave on a high. 'So exhilarating,' she said post swim. 'I was nervous but there was this almost primal moment of everyone being together that carries you along, and a sense of pure happiness.' Dark Mofo festival returned to its full pomp in 2025 after running a reduced program in 2024 so it could find a more sustainable financial model. It has made a name for itself by courting controversy and in 2018 drew the ire of some by installing inverted Christian crosses along Hobart's waterfront. HOBART, AUSTRALIA- NewsWire Photos- JUNE 21, 2025. Dark Mofo Nude Solstice Swim 2025 at Long Beach Sandy Bay. Nikki Davis-Jones/ NewsWire Credit: NCA NewsWire Festival artistic director Chris Twite said the swim was a tremendous way to bring things to a close. 'The response in 2025 has been incredible,' he said. 'The streets of Hobart have come alive with locals and visitors celebrating winter and Dark Mofo again.' University of Queensland psychologists surveyed swimmers in previous years before and after they took the plunge and found a significant boost in feelings of connection. 'People told us about whether they felt pain and pleasure during the swim,' Laura Ferris said. 'And those who rated their swim as pleasurable also felt more social connection with the other people around them.' It is an example of people seeking out aversive experiences, such as eating extremely spicy food or watching horror movies. 'This is what psychologists call 'benign masochism',' Dr Ferris said. That could be the optimal term for expeditioners at Australia's four Antarctic and sub-Antarctic research stations, who also celebrated the solstice with a much-colder traditional plunge. At the three Antarctic stations, a hole is cut in the sea ice each year and expeditioners have a quick dip in the sub-zero waters. 'The shock is closely followed by a rush, which is quickly followed by a scramble to the ladder to get the hell out of that water,' Mawson Station leader Dave Roberts said. 'Ironically, the water is warmer than the wind chill, so it's all a bit confusing but totally worth it.' Those on the sub-Antarctic base at Macquarie Island have it mildly easier for their beach swims, with temperatures hovering from 2C to 4C. A shared meal and the exchanging of gifts and awards round out expedition festivities for the solstice, which is historically the most important day on the Australian Antarctic calendar. 'It's the soul of the Antarctic winter,' Casey Station leader Andy Warton said.