WARM AND SNUG
Whether you plan to get active this winter, hibernate or aim for balance with a combination of both, it helps to have a cosy spot to rest your head. Fortunately, Aotearoa is full of them. Lorna Thornber lists her favourites.
Winter breaks can be about embracing the cold weather with skiing, snowboarding and brisk walks. Or they can be about hiding from it in a cosy cabin or hotel room with enough food, wine and entertainment on hand to ensure you never have to step outside.
CHATEAU TONGARIRO
The castles of Europe may be off-limits for now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t live like a royal who’s wrangled their way into New Zealand for a luxury break. One of the country’s most iconic hotels, “the chateau” may be a youngster in castle terms (it was constructed in 1929), but it still oozes oldschool elegance – and its setting is sublime.
After a day on the slopes of Mt Ruapehu (or soaking up the views of the dual World Heritage-listed Tongariro National Park from bed), enjoy a cocktail in the Roaring
Twenties-style lounge (complete with roaring fire) before sitting down to a chateaubriand dinner beneath sparkling chandeliers in the main restaurant.
Most rooms look out to the national park and the spa suites feature fireplaces and, as the name suggests, spa baths. However you spend your day, save time for a soak in the heated indoor plunge pool, which reopened in March.
Staying there: Rooms in the hotel start from $130. Self-catering units cost from $117. chateau.co.nz.
QT QUEENSTOWN
Prefer to live more like a rock star than a royal? Try checking into QT Queenstown. The contemporary hotel on the shores of Lake Wakatipu is always pretty rock’n’roll, with martini kits in the mini-bars, TVs in the marble-floored en suites, a heated pool, and
extensive selection of alpine apertifis (including a separate menu for negronis) in the onsite bar.
This year though, guests get to make like a demanding celeb with an extra-long rider, courtesy of the new “Rock Star” package. Would-be VIPs customise their stays by taking a survey that lands them an alias, their choice of snacks and dinner in their Remarkable King or Lake King room, an instant camera to capture their night (they do have to give it back), and a nightcap in a private area of Reds Bar.
You can feel free to go all out because you’ll get breakfast in bed with “recovery cocktails” the next morning – plus a late check out time of 1pm.
Staying there: The Rock Star Package starts at $479 per night through June, and $591 per
night from July to September. Available for stays until December 31, 2021. QThotels.com
THE ROUND TENT, RAGLAN
Yurts have been keeping Mongolian nomads cosy through snowy winters since ages ago, so you can rest assured this heated, carpeted version in comparatively mild Raglan will keep you toasty.
Set in a rural idyll less than 10 minutes’ drive from town, the yurt will have you feeling like a nomad who’s transported their home to the middle of nowhere – while having a Raglan Roast coffee shop just down the road.
You don’t have to leave if you don’t want to though. The seven-metre-wide yurt has a barbecue in the outdoor fire pit area and is connected by covered walkway to a modern kitchen and bathroom.
The chocolate- and caramel-coloured interior is kitted out with a queen-size bed, bunk, couch, table and chairs, big-screen TV and all the woolly throws you could possibly need. You might just find yourself praying for rain though: There’s nothing quite like cuddling up in bed as it drums on the canvas.
Whatever the weather, make time for a soak under the stars in the stone bath. Arguably also even more magical in the rain.
Staying there: Midweek stays between Sunday and Thursday cost $270 for a onenight stay for two, plus a $50 cleaning fee. Midweek stays of two nights or more are $250 a night, plus the cleaning fee. There’s a minimum two-night stay at weekends, which cost $580, plus the cleaning fee. Between December 24 and January 31, the yurt costs $290 a night for a minimum three-night stay, plus the cleaning fee. theroundtent.co.nz.
THE CINEMA SUITES, TE ANAU
It would be a shame to come to Fiordland and not check out its awe-inspiring scenery, but you can spend all your time indoors here and fairly claim you have.
With a floor-to-ceiling panorama featuring a fairytale-like forest and soft wool carpets installed to mimic moss on the forest floor, you can enjoy a spot of forest bathing just by lying in bed.
With the boutique Fiordland cinema and The Black Dog Lounge Bar in the same building, you don’t have to clock up more than a couple of hundred steps a day if you don’t want to. Tickets to Ata Whenua Fiordland Experience at the cinema are included in your stay, as are bottles of local pinot noir and sauvignon blanc.
The self-contained studio features super-king and sofa beds, green velvet couches, a 50-inch TV hooked up to Netflix and Sky with surround sound, and en suite bathroom with power shower. Everything, in other words, you could need after a day in the great outdoors (or this snug indoor substitute).
Staying there: The suite, which sleeps up to six, costs from $400 a night. thecinemasuites.co.nz
ECOESCAPE, TARANAKI
This tiny house in the tiny town of Korito might just give you goosebumps – not from the cold but from the full-frontal view of Mt Taranaki.
Powered by solar panels and hydro-turbines, the off-grid space somehow finds room for two double beds (one in an upstairs loft), a well-equipped kitchen, bathroom and living area with a table and chairs and TV.
There are some incredible hikes in the area, but it’s also well worth exploring the familyowned property – you’ll find glow-worms in the bush, a lake with kayaks, walkways, farm animals, and gardens where you’re welcome to help yourself to seasonal fruit and vege.
Make sure you leave plenty of time for lazing in bed – although with that view you might not make much progress with any reading material. The indoor fireplace and outdoor bath – from which you’re likely to be bedazzled by stars – are the icing on the cake.
Staying there: From $160 a night. airbnb.co.nz
MARUIA HOT SPRINGS, LEWIS PASS
There are lots of ways to warm up after a walk in the wilderness at this multi-budget wellness retreat amid snowy mountains on the Lewis Pass: soak in the outdoor geothermal mineral spring, give the indoor version a go, or head to the sauna or steam room. With certain packages, you also get a private bath.
Accommodation options range from a riverside campsite and heated “glamping pods” to cosy hotel rooms which, in true wellness retreat tradition, don’t have TVs – but those not keen on a complete digital detox will be happy to know there is wi-fi.
Expect nourishing meals portioned to fuel long hikes in the forest, access to zen chi machines and a relaxation lounge, and wellness experiences such as massages and sessions with a “sauna master”.
Staying there: Campervan and bathe from $65; glamping pods from $189; hotel from $259; day retreats start from $69 per adult. maruiahotsprings.nz
MT HUTT LODGE
With Mt Hutt in its backyard and a lake and the Rakaia River out front, this country “cabin” could hardly be better positioned for a family winter getaway.
Skiing, snowboarding, fishing, horse riding, golf, jet boating and brisk winter walks are among your activity options, but it’ll be hard leaving comforts such as open fireplaces (yes, there’s more than one) and a spa bath behind.
It has a traditional hunting lodge vibe with wooden walls, floors and ceilings, comfy leather and tartan couches, heavy red curtains and stag’s head mounted in the corridor. The master bedroom has its own fireplace, en suite with a spa bath and separate steam shower, and you’ll also find fireplaces in the living area and dining room.
With a gourmet kitchen, big-screen TVs, and a very full bookshelf, you could easily while away the entire weekend indoors. You should step out onto the balcony or lower deck at least once though – the views out toward the lake during the day and up at surreally starstudded skies at night are mesmerising.
Staying there: Rates are about $969 a night, with a minimum two-night stay. Glampinghub.com
THE OLD MANSE, MARTINBOROUGH
An elegant old girl whose facelift has kept her looking bright, this butter-coloured villa sits beside Nga Waka Vineyard in the wine mecca that is Martinborough.
The five, individually decorated bedrooms all feature en suites (one with a claw-foot bath), while the pinot-hued living area is kitted out with comfy leather couches, an eight-seater dining table and big open fireplace.
If the sun makes itself felt, you’ll definitely want to dine at the outdoor table overlooking the vines. But if not, you can always console yourself with a glass of wine in the al fresco cedar hot tub.
Staying there: The holiday home, which sleeps up to 12 in five bedrooms, starts from $500 a night. martinborough-village.co.nz
BLANKET BAY LODGE, GLENORCHY
Tucked away on a working sheep and cattle farm wedged between the Richardson Mountains and Lake Wakatipu, this worldrenowned luxury lodge is an ideal choice for a celebratory or otherwise special getaway.
Its grand stone-and-timber architecture and antique paintings and furnishings lend it an old-school hunting lodge vibe, made all the more cosy by the big stone fireplaces. Accommodation options range from large rooms within the main lodge to timber-beam chalets, suites within a fully service villa, and the uber-private owner’s residence. Head down to The Den, a 30-foot high room with floor-to-ceiling windows, for evening drinks and canapes before sitting down to a five-course dinner beside a roaring fire in the main dining room, a stone-walled wine cave with medieval candelabras, or heated outdoor terrace.
When you’re not hiking, horse riding, heliskiing or otherwise occupied in the outdoors, there’s plenty to keep amused, including a spa, heated pool, and games room with a pool table, shuffleboard, darts board and self-serve bar.
Staying there: Nightly room rates in winter (April 15 to October 14) start from $1250 for a double and $1010 for a single. Includes predinner drinks, dinner, breakfast and use of all sports equipment and facilities. blanketbay.com.