Breath of Fresh air
The rustic romance of undisturbed wilderness meets the decadent comfort of modern luxury. when it comes to dreamy honeymooning, glamping strikes a serene balance indeed
One of the most important ingredients of romance is nature – think glorious sunsets, a canopy of stars, an empty white-sand beach, or even rain beating down on the roof while you’re snuggled up within. Sharing these marvels of the great outdoors creates memories to last, and the new trend of glamping offers one of the best ways to experience this connection.
Short for ‘glamorous camping’, it whisks away all the annoyances of traditional tenting – lumpy beds, cramped spaces, average food – and replaces them with a luxurious lifestyle that just happens to be far removed from the rest of civilisation.
When you go glamping, you don’t need to pack the car full of equipment, plus you’re more likely to find a four-poster bed than a mattress roll, and a hot tub rather than a solar shower. Not to mention gazillion-dollar views from the door of your lovenest – if it even has a door. Simply choose your favourite landscape – alpine, beach, farmland, forest – and you’re set for days of undisturbed bliss.
Going west
Located on a 300-acre farm neighbouring Bethells Beach, Wainamu Luxury Tents is only 40 minutes’ drive from Auckland, yet feels a world away. Nestled between gentle hills, native forest and the river winding down to the rugged West Coast beach are old-fashioned safari tents for the modern-day adventurer.
‘The word “safari” means “journey” in the language of Swahili,’ explains host Jim Wheeler, and it’s easy to feel you’re one of New Zealand’s early pioneers as soon as you turn off the main Bethells road to cross the Wheelers’ farm. The camp has been a labour of love for Jim and his wife Anna; Jim designed and built the tents himself based on extensive research into traditional safari accommodation, which he blended with design elements inspired by marae structures. As a result, Jim’s canvas-walled, wooden-floored tents have a uniquely Kiwi flavour.
Step inside the spacious tent and numerous couches, deck chairs, a queen-size bed, a retro radio and scattered books invite lounging about. Little posies of wildflowers greet
you on bedside tables and kitchen shelves. The two rooms (bedroom and living area) can be opened into one or partitioned separately.
Outside, stairs to the left of the tent lead you downhill to an open-air bath and shower, mounted on a wooden platform which rises above a native wetland. Surrounded by tussocky grasses and tea-tree branches, it commands complete privacy – all that’s left is to do run a hot bath and gaze out at the greenery.
And the Wainamu landscape rewards careful observers. The overhanging Norfolk pines chatter with tui and fantails, while the occasional rosella flashes past displaying its bright plumage. On the hills in the distance, a handful of the Wheelers’ 70 cows browse placidly.
It’s easy to fall immediately into a slower pace of life, but if all that relaxing becomes too much, it’s a short walk from camp to Lake Wainamu, the giant black-sand dunes backing the beach, the Bethells Cafe, or the spectacular Hillary Trail skirting the West Coast.
When hunger kicks in, the tent comes stocked with delightful pantry essentials, from free-range eggs to chunky bread, homemade plum jam, local honey, coffee and chocolate. A jar of marshmallows awaits the moment Jim lights the campfire. The Wheelers encourage guests to bring their own food to cook on the charcoal barbecue or over the fire and enjoy at the huge outdoor table – an adventure in itself. There’s no electricity at Wainamu, but kerosene lanterns and candles set the mood.
The Wheelers have thought of everything – there’s enough to keep you comfortable while still retaining the sense of roughing it. You’ll delight in the primal experiences of conversation by candlelight, making tea on an open fire, and bathing under the stars. After all, helping to induce romance is one of Jim and Anna’s goals.
‘Romance is one of those important human things, like music and the arts,’ says Jim. Glamping, he says, can help kindle the flame.
Camp it up
Glamping is quickly taking hold in New Zealand, with a number of luxe outdoor experiences now on offer. Canopy Camping ( canopycamping. co. nz) is a network of boutique glamping spots, with a cosy hobbitlike hideaway in the Waikato and traditional English tents on the breathtaking Kawakawa Station in the Wairarapa being two highlights.
In the central North Island, Poronui Safari Camp (poronui.com) is located on a 16,000acre retreat beside the Kaimanawa mountains. Embark on a pioneering adventure with access to the Mohaka and Taharua Rivers, dubbed among the world’s top fly-fishing destinations by Forbes magazine, as well as guided hiking, back-country hunting, horse trekking – and five-star dining at the end of the day.
And if you really want to put the ‘glam’ in glamping, Minaret Station’s tented lodge, on a high-country farm close to Lake Wanaka, is accessible only by helicopter. You’ll enjoy wallto-wall sheepskin carpet, a personal chef and a hot tub on your private deck. It doesn’t really count as ‘roughing it’, but with stunning scenery right at your fingertips, who’s keeping score?