Internationally recognised as one of the hottest travel destinations on the globe, New Zealand offers premier luxury accommodation. Stylish and sophisticated mountain retreats, and hunting and fishing lodges are scattered throughout the country’s two main islands, providing the perfect luxury vacation. Visitors are warmly welcomed into sanctuaries of peace and tranquillity located in the exotic and diverse scenery of this subtropical country in the South Pacific.

Luxury Accommodation In A Unique Landscape

Experience a New Zealand landscape that was isolated ecologically for millions of years, with a unique group of plants, insects, birds and animals. Lush temperate rainforests scattered through the country from north to south are home to many of these unique species.

Let your love of spectacular food, five star wines and designer living quarters drive you to explore the top end of New Zealand’s accommodation market. Golf and fishing lodges, boutique hotels and restored historic homes are ready to inject large amounts of style into your visitor experience.

Not only will you enjoy food and wine that showcases New Zealand’s commitment to haute cuisine, you can have a lot of fun building up an appetite.

Depending on where you stay, trout fishing, sailing, golf, skiing, rafting and hiking are activities that will prepare you for an evening of gourmet indulgence. Often your hotel or lodge will provide a guide to ensure you have the best possible time.

You can take for granted the highest standard of service, and the softest pillows. You can also expect a breathtaking view – the sea, a river, a lake, forest or geothermal phenomena, depending on the location of your lodge.

The landscape also encompasses spectacular mountain peaks, glaciers, fiords, crystal-clear lakes and rivers, vast plains, volcanic plateau, geothermal fields, boiling mud pools and steaming geysers. Most of the luxury lodges in New Zealand are located near to these natural wonders, if not right in the middle of them.

New Zealand luxury lodges offer a distinctive Kiwi style of accommodation and hospitality and superb wine and cuisine. There is a wide range to choose from, all with vastly different features. Take a look at three of the best.

Huka Lodge

Just upstream from Huka Falls on the Waikato River, and two miles from Lake Taupo, is Huka Lodge, a five-star trout-fishing lodge in a peaceful setting. The original New Zealand lodge, it has provided accommodation for royalty.

Taupo is home to some of New Zealand’s largest rainbow trout, and Huka Lodge can help you get the most out of the fishing with guided tours, fishing guides and transport to the prime fishing spots. For visitors who have no interest in fishing, the lodge provides the perfect antidote to urban overload. Eight golf courses are available within a 30-minute drive of the lodge. Rotorua, New Zealand’s geothermal wonderland, is a mere hour’s drive away.

Wharekauhau Country Estate

Although not difficult to access, guests can leave the world behind them when they visit Wharekauhau Country Estate, located on a 5000-acre working sheep station on the southeast coast of the North Island. The property runs between the Rimutaka Mountains and the wild seclusion of Palliser Bay on its eastern boundary.

The lodge’s sumptuous cottages offer stunning views of the ocean. Guests can experience the great outdoors with activities including four-wheel drive safaris, horse trekking, trap shooting, eco tours, coastline tours, vineyard tours, scenic helicopter flights and jetboating.

And afterwards, why not indulge in some serious pampering with one of the many luxurious spa treatments on offer.

The Lodge at Blanket Bay

Built in the grand style of the finest alpine lodges, The Lodge at Blanket Bay offers peace and solitude at the north end of Lake Wakatipu, and not far from the riverside village of Glenorchy. From there it’s a short helicopter ride to Queenstown, and to the snow-capped Mt Earnslaw Glacier, the quiet trout-filled rivers of the Greenstone Valley and the dense pre-historic rain forests of Fiordland. And it’s also an ideal location from which to begin the Routeburn, Milford, Greenstone and Hollyford walking tracks.

From absolute beginner to the most demanding and experienced angler, the lodge’s guides can tailor a fishing adventure to suit. Other exciting activities reflect the alpine setting: skiing and heliskiing, and scenic flights. The horse riding country is second to none in New Zealand. Visitors can ride through a high country sheep station into the national park areas of Mount Aspiring and Fiordland.

More Luxury Accommodation

As well as these three luxury properties, there are a number of other luxury offerings throughout New Zealand. In the North Island, Kauri Cliffs offers a golfing experience in the scenic Bay of Islands. In the South Island, try Lake Rotoroa Lodge in Nelson for fishing and outdoors, or Fiordland Lodge, near Milford Sound, one of the natural wonders of the world.