It's before sunrise in New Zealand's Bay of Islands and I've crept downstairs at the Boathouse, one of four residences at The Landing - thelandingnz.com - spread over 405 hectares of soft coastal hills, reclaimed wetlands and prime wine-growing vines. Login or signup to continue reading Outside the Pacific Ocean rasps gently on the dark brown sands of Wairoa Bay.
Inside my 14-year-old daughter Freya sleeps soundly in a ground-floor bedroom and the huge open-plan kitchen I am writing in awaits the arrival of local chef Carla to cook us waffles and poached eggs for breakfast. It's been more than 20 years since I was last in New Zealand and I'd almost forgotten the understated excellence with which Kiwis do luxury accommodation. The Landing not only encapsulates the most opulent digs in one of the world's most compellingly beautiful locations but also comes with everything (and I mean everything, from private chefs providing meals to wine tastings at the onsite winery to half-day boat tours among the 144 offshore islands) taken care of.
We even got taken on a Kiwi spotting tour last night, discovering two of these curious-looking, skewer-beaked ground-dwelling birds foraging for grubs on the property's huge lawns. The females of this species are bigger than their male counterparts, partly because they have to carry huge eggs (almost as big as those laid by emus) that the male then sits on for 80 days to incubate. We began our week-long visit in Auckland, staying at The Landing's.