Rotorua

Susan Kime's Top Five Most Excellent Travel Adventures of 2010: Unexpected, Unbelievable, Unforgettable

Filed under: Apparel

The two curses of any seasoned experiential/destination travel journalists are word count and deadline. At Luxist, I have been blessed by having no such constrictions, so it is my fault I have not written about these adventures before. My only justification is that I had to let the most formidable, yeasty experiences foment, simmer and rise. After defining my three criteria -- unexpected, singular, unforgettable of 2010 -- here are my top five -- with four out of the five being from my travels in New Zealand in June 2010.

1. New Zealand: Hiking the Southern Alps

I wrote three articles for Luxist about luxury travel trends in New Zealand this year. While there, I was given some great opportunities to explore the country. On the top of my list is hiking in the Southern Alps, near Queenstown, NZ.

I had been in the Southern Hemisphere once before, but had forgotten that mid-June was Winter. Hiking the Southern Alps was one of those upside-down experiences as I just come from Arizona, where the weather was in the mid 90's. It was therefore, an unexpected cold, where I looked around and saw a lot of snow on the mountains ( see above), as the 2010 ski season had just begun. The Southern Alps, also called The Remarkables, was the backdrop of some of the Lord of The Rings films. I was shown where Mordor's Castle was, well, virtually. But realistically, if he had a view below, in the distant perimeter would have been the Kawarau River, and in the greater distance, over the river, the first Bungee Jumping Bridge in New Zealand, constructed in 1986. You first.

2. Traveling On The Otago Wine Road, near Queenstown, NZ.

I wrote about one of the most exceptional wineries, The Peregrine Winery, on this road for Luxist, but I did not write about the others, which has been bothering me for the past 6 months. The Otago Wine Road is one of those highways that could be compared to some in Napa Valley, except the Otago lies at the foot of the Remarkables Mountain chain, AKA The Southern Alps, and many of the wineries are built on very rocky, yet fertile soil. This is Pinot Noir country. But it is also Pinot Blanc , Pinot Gris, Riesling,and Gerwurz country also. My reasoning for including this journey lies in the unexpected nature of the wines sampled. There were tastes I had not experienced before, and I thought I knew wine! The wine road was part of my ongoing Oenophile education.

Tags: adventure travel in New Zealand, Aurum Wines, Bungee Jumping Bridge Kawarau River, Central Otago Wine Raod New Zealand, Chard Farm, Christchurch, deconstructed meals, Dolphin strand feeding, Kawarau River, Kiawah Island, Kiawah River, Lake Ohakuri, Lord of the Rings New Zealand, Mt. Difficulty Winery, NZ, Oraki Korakau, Pescatore restaurant, Queenstown, Rotorua, Ruatupu Cave, Shotover River, Southern Alps, The Geirge Hotel, The George Hotel, The remarkables Mountain Range, thermal cave at Orakei Korako

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Lake Okareka Lodge Begins Offering Individual Room Rates

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

New Zealand's Lake Okareka Lodge by lebua, which hosted Luxist earlier this year and we're sure is the second home of The Big Guy when heaven gets too noisy, is now offering individual room rates. Previously, guests booked the lodge and its three rooms exclusively. Now the 1,400-square-foot Lake Okareka suite, and the 731-square-foot Rotorua and Garden suites can be had on their own.

The pricing structure has been changed, but the amenities haven't: rates are inclusive of breakfast, pre-dinner drinks with canapés, and 5 course dinner prepared by your personal chef, and 24-hour butler service. Each room also still comes with a lake view, sitting areas, walk-in closets, plasma TV and DVD player, Sonos music systems, individual climate control and marble bathrooms with underfloor heating and Bvlgari amenities. And your neighbors like the will still be the most inviting kind, like the Polynesian Spa and the Whakarewarewa Redwood Forest.

Those are just a few of the reasons it was voted the World's Best Luxury Country House at the 2009 World Luxury Hotel Awards, and New Zealand's Leading Resort at this year's World Travel Awards. Rates vary throughout the year, with the Lake Okareka Suite going for NZ $4,590 ($3,466 U.S.) right now during high season, dipping down to NZ $2,500 after April 1, 2011. The Garden Suite is currently NZ $2,475, settling at $1,600 ($1,208.20 U.S.) in April. The rates, per night per couple, will also be levied with Zealand's 15% GST, but the experience, we promise you, will remain 100% priceless.

Gallery: Lake Okareka Lodge by lebua