V&T Daily
The latest travel news
|
|
lakes and luxury
Published in the July-September 2010 issue.
Rob Woodburn samples the fine dining, adrenalin-pumping adventures and laidback delights of New Zealand’s southern alps.
It’s a simple formula: Queenstown plus Wanaka equals holiday magic squared. These two South Island towns and the surrounding region offer more scope for holiday thrills and creature comforts, more hectares of snow, and more opportunities for off-piste fun and laughter than anywhere else in the country.
Queenstown is South Island’s premium winter sports gateway and year-round hub for action-packed holidays awash with thrill-packed diversions, most of them fiendishly devised to make the nerves twang and the heart thump. During the heat of the holiday season, the town’s streets are aflame with youthful spirit and a devil-may-care attitude neatly encapsulated on a T-shirt that reads, “Go for it or go home”.
For sheer thrills, you might choose to leap out of a plane, jump off a mountainside high above the town or plunge headlong from Kawarau Bridge, where bungy-jumping began back in 1988. Taking to the water in a speeding jet boat, you can power-slide through spectacularly rocky canyons along waterways aptly named the Shotover and the Dart.
Action is the A word in adrenalin-fuelled Queenstown but this doesn’t mean everything need be fast and furious. The lakeside haven of Wanaka is a restful and inspiring alternative. When you see it on a tranquil autumn afternoon with Lake Wanaka’s surface whipped into whitecaps by a stiffening breeze, framed by an awesome panorama of snow-dusted peaks, it becomes clear why thousands of New Zealanders nominate Wanaka as their preferred ski town. The lake is the fourth largest in New Zealand and from Glendhu Bay, on its western shore, there’s a particularly marvellous view taking in the majesty of Mount Aspiring. Such landscapes are therapy for both heart and soul.
In winter, Wanaka rugs up and becomes a snug base camp for skiers, most planning to spend most of their time on the slopes of either Treble Cone or the Cardrona Valley.
Along the Queenstown-Wanaka axis lies a winter wonderland of ski-fields that together cover the full spectrum of snow activities, from fearsome downhill runs to benign beginner slopes, from Olympic superpipes to happy-go-lucky dog-sledding. Only rarely does bad weather close the slopes for long and the wide variation in terrain means there are encouragingly gentle slopes for learners as well as stirringly challenging runs for experienced skiers.
The Remarkables and Coronet Peak are close to Queenstown; Treble Cone is just 26 kilometres from Wanaka, between them stretches the Cardrona Valley, with Cardrona Alpine Resort, Snow Park NZ and Snow Farm New Zealand cross-country skiing.
Cardrona Alpine Resort is the optimal choice for families, with a Children’s Alpine Centre offering all-day supervision for five- to 12-year-olds and top-notch teaching programs. It’s also a smart choice for first-timers of all ages as a quarter of the skiable snow here is suitable for novices. The board park has a 6.7-metre Olympic-grade superpipe. There’s mountainside accommodation and four quad chairlifts.
Snow Park NZ is purportedly the country’s largest terrain park and is a hot favourite with freestyle skiers and board riders. Here, fists pump and music thumps all day long. The park boasts New Zealand’s longest superpipe and only permanent quarterpipe plus a generous scattering of boxes, rails and jumps.
Snow Farm, also known as Waiorau Nordic, is the only dedicated Nordic-style cross-country ski area in New Zealand. It also presents an opportunity to mush on dog sleds over pristine snowfields and through frozen forest. Snow Farm has simple, comfortable stay-by-the-snow accommodation and, in the spring and summer months, offers alpine biking and hiking.
Treble Cone is a massive mountain with many formidable runs along with the highest vertical drop and the largest ski area on the South Island. Famous for its ‘deep powder days’, the Cone is probably not a beginner’s best choice. Treble Cone is 35 minutes’ drive from Wanaka and a daily shuttle makes the 95-kilometre run to and from from Queenstown.
The Remarkables are indeed that, given the area’s three huge bowls of snow, back-country runs, chutes, pipes, rails and last but not least, the fact that kids under 10 can ski free. It’s 45 minutes by road from Queenstown, and shuttle coach transfers are available with Green NZSki Snowline.
Coronet Peak is even closer to town and is also serviced by regular shuttles. Your time spent out in the white here is greatly assisted by the ski field’s new, fast Greengates Express, zooming skiers to the top of the slopes in just 270 seconds. Coronet Peak also has night skiing twice a week.
The most scenic route between Queenstown and Wanaka is via the Crown Range Road, the highest main thoroughfare in New Zealand. Although it is allegedly off-limits to those driving rental cars (check before you hire), it’s now fully sealed so it’s hardly tough going, though the road’s many bends can prove tricky if there’s snow and ice. Driving the range route is around 50 kilometres shorter than going via Cromwell.
Historic Cardrona Hotel is the obvious pitstop as you’re driving across the range. Built around 1863, this surviving nugget of Otago’s gold-rush history has been lovingly preserved, and its bar is a perennially popular après-ski haunt. It also has 16 guestrooms set around a garden courtyard. The hotel and store are all that remain of what was a thriving gold-rush township in the late 19th century.
Another great drive heads out of Queenstown and follows the shore of Lake Wakatipu as far as the village of Glenorchy at the mouth of the Dart and Rees rivers. Don’t be surprised to discover that the surrounding landscape bears a strong resemblance to Middle Earth: many locations in the Southern Lakes region featured in Peter Jackson’s epic film trilogy – and you can be steeped in the mythology as well as the scenery if you join a dedicated Lord of the Rings tour.
Depending on the time of year, you may want to consider setting out on your own personal quest from Glenorchy – striding out along the Routeburn Track, one of New Zealand’s world-famous hiking trails. Glenorchy is also the jumping-off point for Dart River jetboat safaris, which can include some back-country 4WDing.
For a more sedate passage, take a lake cruise aboard vintage steamer TSS Earnslaw, which has been steaming around Lake Wakatipu since before World War I. It is a Queenstown icon and rightfully so – as is the Skyline Gondola ride up the mountainside. The Earnslaw will operate three cruises a day from July. No matter what time of year, the voyage is rarely chilly thanks to great gusts of steamy heat that issue from two huge boilers amidships.
Some of the country’s most elegant lodges flank the shores of the lake. The fabulous scenery and the proximity of snowy slopes, famous hiking trails and superb fly-fishing in the warmer months make this the ideal place to stay awhile. And the acclaimed comforts of world-class accommodations such as Blanket Bay, Punatapu and Remarkables Lodge overlooking Lake Wakatipu and, in Wanaka, Whare Kea, Te Wanaka and Tiritiri lodges, make New Zealand’s Southern Lakes district synonymous with high-end holiday pleasures.
Arrowtown is a pocketbook village that dates back to 1862, when it was a rough-and-ready tent town. Around 60 well-preserved and restored historical buildings include an interesting gold-rush museum. Tucked away in the surrounding poplar-covered hills are the remnants of a Chinese miners’ settlement. Top-flight overnight options include the Arrowtown House Boutique Hotel.
Millbrook, on the way to Arrowtown, is a salubrious country estate with luxury accommodation, a spa and a championship course designed by New Zealand golfing great Sir Bob Charles. Less accomplished golfers will have as much fun at less expense playing the Arrowtown course or enjoying Queenstown’s Kelvin Heights Golf Course, rated as one of the country’s most scenic. You could also enjoy a round on the 18-hole Wanaka course or whip around the nine holes at Frankton, near Queenstown airport.
Hiking – or tramping, in local parlance – takes place in fair weather and foul. Local pamphlets list routes that range from one-hour strolls to eight-hour epic treks. The 4.5-kilometre Mount Iron Track at Wanaka, for instance, is a circuit that takes about two hours to traverse at a leisurely pace. The summit provides an impressive panorama that takes in Lake Wanaka, Lake Hawea, the Cardrona Valley, part of the Upper Clutha Basin, the Pisa and Harris ranges and Mount Aspiring National Park.
Foul weather does strike, of course – and when it does, Wanaka has excellent indoor options in the New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum and the National Transport & Toy Museum – at and next to Wanaka Airport, respectively. You might prefer to spend some time bending your perceptions at the town’s intriguing Puzzling World.
Queenstown’s numerous cafés, restaurants and bars provide shelter from any storm, along with roaring fires on winter nights. Put Dux de Lux on your bar-hopping list, and The Pig & Whistle Pub, where you can slalom through a stirring selection of beers on tap. Wine-drinkers will love Bardeaux in Searle Lane, also the location of several other bars and legendary Queenstown café Joe’s Garage.
Extend your horizons further by using Queenstown as hop-off point for sojourns to Fiordland National Park and its indisputable wonders: Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound and Dusky Sound being the park’s star attractions. Scenic helicopter flights whisk tourists among the fiords, over Mount Aspiring National Park and as far afield as Mount Cook. •
Photography by Rob Woodburn and Tourism New Zealand.
TRAVEL FACTS
getting there
getting around
- AAT Kings, phone 1300 556 100 or visit www.aatkings.com.au
- Creative Holidays, phone 1300 747 400 or visit www.creativeholidays.com.au
- Driveaway Holidays, phone 1300 723 972 or visit www.driveaway.com.au
- Green Realm, phone +64 9 300 3085 or visit www.greenrealmtravel.com
- Kirra Holidays, phone 1800 007 373 or +64 3 355 0492 or visit www.kirratours.co.nz
- Platinum International Travel, phone 02 9264 4344 or visit www.platinuminternationaltravel.com.au
- Avis, phone 13 63 33 or visit www.avis.com.au
- Australian Pacific Touring, phone 1300 336 932 or visit www.aptouring.com.au
- Evergreen Tours, phone 02 4929 4333 or visit www.evergreentours.com
- Qantas Holidays, phone 1300 HOLIDAY or visit www.qantas.com.au
- Scenic Tours, phone 02 8274 1300 or visit www.scenictours.com
where to stay
further information
|
|
|
V&T Takeoff
Updates from our editors and writers
 |
The team from the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau were in town last week to update Australia on some of the BIG things happening in the Texan state. |
 |
V&T mag dropped into Bali last month and helped the W Retreat & Spa celebrate their 2nd anniversary and what a splash it was. With local and international fashion designers on display, the W Lounge was transformed into a catwalk party zone. 2500 people flowed through the resort late into the night, moving to NYC DJ Sandy Rivera. This was the biggest ticket in Bali for some time and the resorts pulling power is a testament to just how hot this property and international hotel brand actually is.www.vacationsandtravelmag.com/Mca/874/765/3/0/0/#takeoff1 How did we cope the next day? Poolside. Don’t wait until their 3rd anniversary as the vibe, sound and style of this resort makes for a very cool holiday. In the heart of Seminyak and right on the beach, Bali beckons. |
 |
Thanks to our friends at Air France we got out of the office for the day and enjoyed a great round of golf at the annual Financial Markets Charity Golf Day and Gala Dinner. Held annually in February, this event as well as the Financial and Media Markets Charity Sailing Regatta in October raises AU$1.2 million for a wide range of charities.The ASX Group and Thomson Reuters Australia (formerly Reuters) joined forces in 1999 to form a Charity Foundation with the objective of helping Australian-based children, disability and medical research charities by organising fundraising events in conjunction with the Financial Markets. Pictured here: Thomas Reeves Air France, Middle, Patrick Benhamou, Atout France; Anthony Gallagher Vacations & Travel magazine. |
 |
Vacations & Travel magazine rubbed shoulders with local and international buyers and sellers of travel from around the globe at 2013 AIME (Asia Pacific's Incentive Meeting Expo). This is the biggest event on the Australian travel industry calendar, where key decision makers congregate to network over a three-day event of hosted parties, trade and leisure travel meetings and press conferences. |
 |
The who's who of Sydney's entertainment industry turned up for the recent opening of the city's newest hotel to receive a makeover, The Parkroyal. Located in Darling Harbour, the property has just emerged from a milt million-dollar makeover to reveal striking rooms and seriously sexy public spaces. Speaking of sexy, some of the celebs on hand to celebrate the re-launch included Casey Burgess, Danielle Blakey and Amy Milne, not to mention Timomatic who entertained the crowds into the witching hours… |
 |
 |
|
