Wine tasting has never looked so good as at Brancott Estate.
We've had a year full of travel highlights, many of which occurred right on our own doorstep. Here we recap some of our favourite experiences from trips around New Zealand this year.
A wine time, Marlborough
In Marlborough we sampled the fermented fruits of the region's vineyards.
Wither Hills' cellar door, an extravagant building with a grand entrance and slick architectural touches, provided a great rolling landscape view, tasty lunch menu and nice wine to match.
Marlborough's wine giant, Brancott Estate, sits high on a hill overlooking the Brancott vineyard. We watched a short film featuring winemaker Patrick Materman before sampling the goods, swirling our glasses while we stared at the rolling hills.
Framingham Wines specialise in aromatic white varietals like sauvignon blanc, pinot gris, gewurztraminer and riesling. Marlborough's climate is perfect for sav blanc with its warm, dry days and cool nights. All of our samples were delicious.
Our finale was Hunter's Wines. Jane Hunter - known as the "first lady" of New Zealand wine - is at the helm of this vineyard, which is still owned by the original family that founded it in 1978.
Kate Mead
Deco delight, Napier
Do the walls have ears? In Napier, they certainly have eyebrows. Ten minutes into a Packard Promenades vintage car tour of art deco highlights and the commentary is so entertaining and educational, I reckon I can confidently pick a Louis Hay-designed building (they're the ones with "eyebrows" - thick, horizontal ornamentations). We tick off sunbursts, skyscraper shapes, fountains and Egyptian inspired geometry.
It's all beautiful, but what's really bringing this alive is guide Tony Mairs' commentary: the violent shaking, the 30-second respite, another minute of terror - fallen buildings, fires, and - eventually, the art deco era-inspired city that would rise from the ashes of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Hawke's Bay in February, 1931. Hands down the best historical overview I've ever experienced as a traveller.
Kim Knight
Obvious attraction, Matakana
Five minutes out of Matakana, Heather and John Forsman's five-star Takatu Lodge got publicity of the money-can't-buy variety when it was name-checked by Tatler magazine. Its 2012 UK travel guide said the four-suite lodge and working vineyard was one of the best places to lay your head in the world, keeping company with new boutique hotels in Europe and The Ritz in London. No pressure then.
We step through the front door and the attraction is obvious. The vines and rolling countryside unfold before us, framed by the lodge's floor-to-ceiling windows and natural stone, wood and marble construction. And our suite is glorious, with a view across the vines to the sea and Little Barrier in the distance. Even the bathroom has full-length windows, creating the illusion of bathing among the grapes. There's no need to be bashful about baring all either, as one of the lodge's few rules, to ensure privacy, is that guests shouldn't walk in front of each other's rooms.
Miryana Alexander
Flounder for lunch, Arrowtown
On a sunny September day, tourists are wandering up and down Buckingham St, all generally looking very pleased with themselves for having the luck to strike such a lovely day in such a lovely place. Me, I'm sitting at a table outside Saffron - a restaurant with a huge reputation despite a typically southern reluctance to sing its own praises - with what transpires to be one of my favourite dishes of the year before me.
It's a flounder, as fresh as an Arrowtown morning, packed with prawns, spring vegetables and gnocchi, and it just sings of spring. (And if you visit in winter, chef and owner Pete Gawron's iconic trio of curries justifies the airfare south in itself).
Angela Walker
Dinner with a MasterChef, Queenstown
Josh Emett and Fleur Caulton have certainly got things right at Rata, the restaurant they opened in 2012, from the uniquely Kiwi decor to the buzzing ambience and the menu packed with local, seasonal ingredients.
The restaurant's main feature is the backlit wall-sized photograph of a rata tree forest, taken by Fleur's husband, Daz. There are subtle accents of red incorporated into the decor - hints of the rata tree's red flower. The sea salt dishes on the tables are polished pebbles, picked up from around Lake Wakatipu. And the food . . . well, the food is worth a story in its own right.
We begin with goat's cheese profiteroles with rata blossom honey, crispy braised pork terrine with caper mayonnaise, and thinly sliced ox tongue with beetroot and chopped pistachio nuts, before mains of Wakanui beef with red wine shallots, carrot and horseradish creamed potatoes; and poached free-range chicken breast, chicken liver, sprouts and chestnuts.
It's all outstanding, the staff are attentive without being intrusive, and all the while you can see Josh working calmly and confidently in the kitchen and Fleur greeting guests on the restaurant floor. As his fellow MasterChef judge Simon Gault would say, Rata has that extra 5-per-cent magic.
Stephanie Holmes
Perfect pause, Katikati
A must for the sheer relaxation is the Katikati Bird Gardens. Owner Scott Robertson used to work in internet banking in London but returned home for what must count as one of the most dramatic changes in lifestyle for his young family. And it was perfect for mine.
Sprawling hectares with the emphasis on the gardens take you from gorgeous planned vistas juxtaposing vibrant purples and reds, through European-styled settings to natural wetlands. On their own, the gardens deserve the time; the birds add to the enjoyment and are well used to having kids running around.
With a good cafe attached serving scrumptious food, this is the perfect place to pause for lunch. Of note, for couples wanting a quiet get-away, there is a guest house for rent. I've tucked that one away for future reference.
David Gadd
Napoleon's party trick, Auckland
Auckland's Sofitel, which officially opened in June, has plenty to offer guests looking for a standout place to stay in the city. At Sabrage, the Sofitel's bar, we took part in an interactive drinking experience, where we beheaded a bottle of champagne with a sabre, like the Napoleonic method.
Under the guidance of a sabrage swordmaster, we located the seam of the bottle, took off the wire casing and struck on the lip where the seam joined. There was an exciting loud pop as champagne sprayed onto the floor. But at nearly $200 a bottle, it's an expensive party trick. At the Sofitel's Lava Dining, we enjoyed head chef Scott Brown's degustation menu including a slow-cooked "soft hen's yolk" with butternut pumpkin, couscous, parmesan and shiitake broth accompanied by salmon, duck and beef dishes and chased with a delicious apple, custard and lemon mascarpone dessert.
KM
Mixed bag, Dunedin
Moray Place which is almost on the outer rim of Dunedin's Octagon is a little shopping destination in its own right. Dada Boutique immediately stands out with its eclectic but classic range of patterns, prints and fabrics.
Owner Marie Strauss, who is in-store six days a week, sources her stock from around the country and Europe and has her own label, Dada Vintage. Although most items are reasonably pricey, Strauss says her store has "85 per cent one-offs" and that she never has more than two of anything.
Almost next door is the Cooper complex. Although showrooms, they are open to the public who are welcome to pop in to purchase either exquisitely made velvet purses from Tamsin Cooper or anything from sister Emily's Silkbody clothing range. Across the road I check out vintage store Modern Miss. The store has been both hyped and condemned by locals - some claiming it's the best vintage store around while others dismiss it for what they call extortionate prices. I rather liked it. It was like a lolly jar - everything was bright, colourful, departmentalised and just waiting to be picked up and purchased.
Sarah Murray
The luxury life, Lake Hayes
A-frames and fibrolite were, for years, the order of the day when it came to holiday houses in Central Otago. Now there's a collection of luxury homes available as holiday accommodation. One of these is Mill Creek House, a sumptuously designed and decorated three-bedroom home at Lake Hayes, a short drive from Queenstown airport, with postcard views across to Coronet Peak. With a sunken lounge, fireplace, a peek-a-boo TV, high-spec kitchen and beautiful contemporary art, it'll tick all the boxes if you've ever had a yearning for a taste of how the other half lives - without the inconvenience of their mortgage.
AW
Stressless, Tutukaka
Tutukaka does not need any tarting up: it has got almost everything you would need for a stressless weekend away.
Reaching that conclusion while paddling one of Mark Garry's kayaks is not hard. We launch from the secluded Kowharewa Bay, down below our hotel, and paddle out around the rocks towards the surf. Garry, who was a schoolteacher before deciding on a more laid-back approach to life, knows this stretch of coastline intimately, and shapes his tours to suit the weather and your experience. Given the natural beauty of this coast, it hardly matters where you launch from, and if the sea is rough, the river and lagoon around Ngunguru offer a calm alternative.
Steve Kilgallon
Perfection on a plate, Wellington
The windy city in winter is made passable with the combination of craft beer, chocolate and damned fine dining.
A belt-loosening three days was highlighted by Little Beer Quarter's beeramisu dessert (a cream-fest of whipped Kapiti mascarpone and Kereru Moonless Stout) and the beautifully be-whiskered Lorenzo Bresolin - capital restaurateur, cheerful and copious raconteur, and a dead-ringer for a piercing blue-eyed and beaming-smiled version of Dr Seuss' Lorax.
The son of flamboyant Wellington legend Remiro Bresolin, who "brought pizza to New Zealand" and ran Il Casino for three decades until his death in 2007, was an exceptional dinner companion and a candid commentator of Wellington on a Plate. If you get to the capital, track him down and ask him to explain the problems inherent in the voting rules behind the festival's burger tournament.
That the festival has grown so fast in its four incarnations is testament to the city's culinary characters - none more so than New Zealand Chocolate Festival organisers Iva Sajdl and Frank Stoltenberg. That Iva was keen to point out the hosting hotel's chocolate-coloured carpet swirls speaks volumes to her obsession.
James Belfield
Red alert, Wellington
At Wellington Zoo, we visit native birds, watch an iguana undergo surgery then head to an enclosure for our red panda encounter. My sons, strangely reluctant at first to get too close to these beautiful creatures, which more closely resemble a raccoon than Kung Fu Panda, are soon won over by their friendliness and all-round cuteness. Thirty minutes later, these same boys who were so reluctant to enter the enclosure are, of course, now even more reluctant to leave. We all are. One of our best family holiday experiences ever. AW
Thoughtful touches, Kauri Coast Waipoua Lodge's Ian and Fran Farrant are hospitality maestros. Our suite is kitted out with a claw-footed bath, mezzanine floor and forest view. When we're not relaxing here we indulge in the Farrants' delicious home-made cuisine, highlights of which are the sticky date toffee pudding and hot lemon souffle. Fran runs cooking classes at the lodge as many guests ask her to demonstrate the dishes she serves. Waipoua Lodge has accommodated guests since the early 1900s, with the main building being about 100 years old. The four guest houses are recent additions. Stay here and enjoy thoughtful touches by the Farrants, who ensure you have a memorable and personalised stay.
KM
Breathless at the buffet, Auckland
The Langham is impossibly luxurious and handily walkable to downtown Auckland. Apparently its Chuan spa is rather exemplary, but even just hanging out in your own room is delightful.
I had heard exciting things about the Langham's Eight restaurant, but no breathless accounts quite prepare us for its buffet. Staff manage stations where exquisite, freshly made food awaits your discerning tastebuds, be it the sushi bar, fresh oysters or steak cooked in front of you. Surprisingly, the salad bar captures my heart most - I think it's the near-shocking luxury of pouring as much pistachio oil as I want over my chosen leaves and accoutrements.
Such sweeping range can't guarantee perfection - the pretzels are a little tough, the roast potatoes cold and the beer range oddly small - but generally the deliciousness is astounding.
Oh, and there's a chocolate fountain. Let that thought sink in.
Replete, drunk with fullness, we lurch back to our room to lie prostrate in front of some pleasingly mindless television.
Laura Vincent
Swimming lesson, Tekapo
We arrive in Tekapo to a true High Country summer scorcher of a day. Peppers Bluewater Resort is perched on a hillside overlooking the lake.
Waiting in our room is some bread, baked in a bread machine in our room, which is perfect because we have salmon and cheese and stuff to get into. The staff are friendly and we relax straight away.
The lake is only across the road. It might be 33 degrees outside and the water may be the most intense light blue but it's fed by glaciers, is 700 metres above sea level and is achingly cold. We have a swim anyway - I dive in and immediately run out squealing like a little girl.
Ian Steward
River's edge, Awakino
There is no cellphone signal but there is more than a touch of the south of France at this remote coastal getaway. To pick up the key for the Awakino River Lodge, about an hour north of New Plymouth, you need to pop to the pub next door, where a row of mounted wild boar heads keeps watch from over the bar. Inside this beautifully restored former general store, there are all the comforts of home - if, that is, your home has a restaurant-quality kitchen, hot tub, Italian bed linen - and much, much more. Visit nearby Mokau for a whitebait sandwich from River Run Cafe and if you have the time, take a cruise up the river on the MV Glenroyal, aka the Big Blue River Boat of Mokau River Tours. Fascinating stories to be told, great scones cooked on the barbecue to scoff down for morning tea. AW
Clap in the dark, Waipoua Forest "When I tell you to get your clap on," says Bill Matthews, "it's not because I'm awesome, it's because there's a wild pig." Footprints Waipoua lead night- time tours through Waipoua Forest and our guides, Bill and Matiu, gave us a briefing, telling us to clap if a pig crosses our path (the noise will scare it away).
On our trip there were no wild pigs but we heard kiwi - and lots of other birds - calling to each other. We visited Te Matua Ngahere, the Father of the Forest, and soaked up the dramatic sight. The kauri is more than 2000 years old, coming in at just under 30m tall with a waistline of 17m. We contemplated this gargantuan, illuminated by the Moon, while Bill sang. His voice filled the forest. Then we saw the supermodel of the forest, the frequently photographed Tane Mahuta (Lord of the Forest), coming in at 51m tall. This is an experience you must do when up north.
KM
Crafty capital, Wellington
Handmade is an annual craft event but you don't have to wait for a festival to experience the arty crafty diversity of the country's capital. In Wellington, the bar you drank at the night before hosts a market the next day. One evening, you might eat tapas at a table situated under a canoe carved by artist Rohan Wealleans and in the morning, wander around his sculptures at the City Gallery.
"Wander" is the operative word. Our entire short break was conducted within a couple of kilometres of Cuba St's Quality Hotel. Two hours after leaving Auckland's after-work traffic, we were sitting in another world. Also known as the back of the Matterhorn, where the waiter said things like "sweet as", and we agreed, as we ordered goat curry and the best venison tartare we've eaten.
For two overworked, perpetually stressed Aucklanders whose recent Friday nights had been dictated by the calibre of guests on the Graham Norton Show, it was bliss of the almost forgotten grown-up and romantic kind. Yes, I will have another glass of wine, thanks, my first craft class isn't until 11am.
KK
Full of beans, Waiheke Island
Having picked up our car from Waiheke Auto Rentals and negotiated who was going to drive and who was going to make the most of the wineries (for the record, I won), we head to Ostend.
We are looking for Island Coffee and if not for the tiny blackboard announcing the roasters' location down an alley you wouldn't know it was there. Owners Jane and Stephen Burn roasted coffee in their garage for years before deciding to build a bigger premises and add a cafe. The cafe is open only in the mornings and it has such a homely feel - down to the record player with a collection of albums that most of the town's residents have added to at some stage - you don't want to leave in a hurry. And the coffee? Well, let's just say if more coffee tasted like that I would drink it more often.
Sarah Harvey
On top of the world, Queenstown
Snow-shoeing is a good way to enjoy Queenstown's stunning mountains with less of the risk of broken limbs skiing and snowboarding entail. On an overcast and cold morning, just a short helicopter ride above the clouds, it feels like a different world. At about 1500 metres above sea level, on a snowy plain on Queenstown's Remarkables, the view is astonishing. All around us are mountains, snowy ravines, lakes turned solid with ice, and waterfalls frozen mid-flow into translucent blue icicles. The cold is startling at first - it's minus seven but the wind chill makes it feel more like minus 20 - but after a while, with the sun on our backs and the many layers of clothing doing their job, we're soon feeling toasty.
The silence is the thing that stops me in my tracks. Apart from our footsteps scrunching on the snow, there is absolutely no sound. The whole experience is exhilarating and the mountain atmosphere is the crispest, freshest air I have ever inhaled.
Sliding down a snowy ridge on my backside inspires childish shrieks of delight as icy crystals fly into my face. When we finally reach the waiting helicopter there is a huge sense of achievement and I'm not sure I have ever felt more alive.
The cloud cover still lingers as the helicopter takes us back down to earth. As we descend, the mountain peaks disappear and Queenstown pops back into view, sitting pretty as always around Lake Wakatipu.
Who knew there would be such beauty waiting for us above the clouds?
And who knew Queenstown, even on my fifth visit, still has the power to surprise?
SH
- © Fairfax NZ News
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