Pictures don’t do justice to the grandeur and scale of this island, but I’ll try to do my best over the course of the next few days. We’re greeted at the lodge and shown to one of four chalets that stretch out in an alpine valley carved by an ancient glacier. The valley rises to the West, descends to the east, continuing to the working farm and Lake Wānaka. A central lodge sits behind and above the chalets where a fire crackles twenty four hours a day, four guest families (including us) gather from day adventures to sip on cocktails, share stories, and a world class chef prepares outstanding tasting menus each night. It all feels incredibly detailed, precise, but also warm and down to earth. It’s luxurious in the best sense of the word, without any pretense or snobbiness.
We’re sharing the property with a few members of the staff, two older couples from Australia (the Aussies), and another young couple and their daughter from Hong Kong. It takes me a while to get used to the Australian accent and dry sense of humor, but a solid vintage of Chablis breaks down international barriers of communication and soon we’re in a jolly discussion on best adventures, favorite foods, and American politics (not something you can run away from these days).
There is a herd of deer grazing in front of our chalet the next morning. The horizon is starting to light up from the sunrise, but we won’t see direct light in the valley until around ten thanks to the mountains around us. I bundle up in my technical layers (for the record, I packed just the right amount of hiking gear - I don’t care what Virginija says) and, camera in hand, head out for a walk. The staff at the lodge advise me that under health and safety rules I’m allowed to venture up and down the valley, but I must stay in sight of the lodge. Silly kiwis, my American exploratory spirit and Eastern European distrust of authority are in direct opposition to these communist rules. There’s zero chance my family will wake in the next two hours so I brave the alpine wind and scamper off exploring the vast range of this property. The trail is easy, the air warms up with a few uphill climbs, and the only moderately dangerous obstacle along the way are sheep turds. I run into a flock of said offenders along the trail, give them a disapproving look, and decide to leave them to their breakfast and recycling functions.