Peak views and serenity
Mountain air, spectacular views and a hot tub. What more could you ask for on a yoga retreat in remote Whangamoa, north of Nelson, writes Jo McCarroll.
It’s fair to say that it is a bit of a drive to Peak View Retreat on the Whangamoa Saddle, between Nelson and Blenheim. It’s just 45 minutes or so from central Nelson, but the 5km driveway up to the property is a pot-holed gravel road that I would have suspected might be too much for the Nissan Tiida we hired, were it not for the fact that Carl McAllansmith, who owns the property with wife Natalia, tells us that a guest did it recently in a particularly low-slung McLaren.
Carl meets us in his ute at the bottom to guide us up as we twist and turn our Tiida all the way to the top to our destination, a two-bedroom luxury holiday hideaway in what feels like total seclusion amid 88 hectares of native bush.
Looking east from the front of the property you can see across the Richmond Range. (There are two chairs perfectly positioned to catch the sunrise.) But it’s only when you step through the front door you experience the actual peak view. The glasswalled living and kitchen space, and the expansive decks that surround it, look right out over Cable Bay and Pepin Island, all the way to the beaches of the Abel Tasman.
In 1996, Pepin Island was bought by a German princess, Viola von Hohenzollern, who ‘‘used to collect islands’’, Natalia tells us. When von Hohenzollern died, her island collection passed to her daughter, Olivia Hallman, who this week sold it to an unknown New Zealand company, after the price was dropped from $16 million to offers over $13.5m.
Apparently guests ask quite often if they can buy the retreat itself, but Natalia and Carl – who sold their Wellington home to buy it – have no plans to sell.
It would be perfectly possible to park yourself on the deck to watch the ocean for your entire stay, perhaps popping into the wood-fired hot tub for a spell every now and again, or taking a break to bird watch from the hammock, a few steps down from the lower deck that the bedrooms on the bottom level open out on to (look out for tu¯ ı¯, fantails, kereru¯ , the South Island robin, and the rare smallest New Zealand falcon/ka¯ rearea).
But for guests who need a bit more activity, the McAllansmiths offer a variety of packages, including ones that focus on local food and wine, hunting and gathering, and on wellness.
My friend and I are looking for rest and recovery, so we opt for a version of the wellness package. Israel-born, Cable Bay resident and yoga teacher Noa visits one morning to take us through a two-hour session of yoga and mindfulness that is particularly tailored to both our relaxation aims and our abilities. Noa adapts some exercises for me because of my poor balance, and some for my friend, who has only recently finished treatment for breast cancer.
The aim of the practice, Noa says, is not the asanas, or poses, themselves.
‘‘Yoga is not about what your asana looks like,’’ she says. ‘‘It’s not about how flexible you are. It’s about connecting to your body. It’s about connecting to your strength, balance and grace, because then you can bring that energy into every aspect of your life.’’
With the glass doors slightly open to capture the breeze, we move fluidly (OK, in my case, perhaps jerkily), through a series of standing poses, and then lie on our backs, ending up with our arms spread out wide.
‘‘This is a vulnerable position,’’ Noa says. ‘‘It opens up your throat chakra. Not everyone likes the feeling at first, but it will help you be more open.’’
Carl told us to be sure to check out the night sky while we were staying.
With the retreat so high in the hills, you are ‘‘almost at observatory level’’, and with the hills blocking the light pollution from Nelson, on a clear night you can be treated to some truly spectacular stargazing.
But the first night we stayed was cloudy. The second and final night was cloudy again. But I woke at 3am or so and walked out on to the deck. You could just hear the roar of the ocean below and, looking up, the clouds had cleared to reveal a dazzling sky of bright stars that felt near enough almost to touch. It felt about as close to heaven as you might want to get.