From the Editor

I’ve spent the past week dreaming about New Zealand. More specifically, I’ve been reliving my last trip there. In March 2020 – mere days before international flights back into Australia were restricted – I had the good fortune to stay at two of the South Island’s best lodges, Minaret Station and Blanket Bay.

The Kiwis do many things very well, from eye-popping scenery to exquisite wines. (Okay – they’re not too bad at rugby, either.) But the lodges? That’s something they have mastered.

Minaret Station (minaretstation.com) offers myriad luxuries, including hot tubs on the deck (filled with rainwater, no less), farm-grown food that’s cooked with respect and a location that has to be seen to be believed. Accessible only by helicopter, the four chalets are in a glacial valley next to the World Heritage-listed Mount Aspiring National Park. And the experiences! A chopper will drop you off for a hike through the most pristine backcountry. From July to September, one of 17 mountain ranges is yours if you feel like a spot of heli-skiing. Or you can fly over the magnificent Fiordland, where you’ll see monster mountains and mirror-like lakes, snow-covered peaks and never-ending waterfalls.

Just a 40-minute drive from Queenstown, Blanket Bay (blanketbay. com) celebrates the glorious lake on which it sits, Lake Wakatipu. There’s fly-fishing for trout along the edge (and in tributaries that flow into NZ’s longest lake), jet-boat rides to take you deep into the glacier-fed rivers and an endless view of the celebrated cerulean water. The helicopter features here, too – with trips to Milford Sound and heli-skiing “à la carte” – and there’s easy access to the Southern Lakes wine region. It’s all wrapped up in luxurious accommodation and oh-so-friendly service.

It won’t surprise you to know that I’m madly planning my next trip to the Land of the Long White Cloud.

See you there?