Few destinations combine pristine natural beauty, divine accommodation and authentic hospitality quite like New Zealand, which is why its luxury lodges are consistently rated as the best in the world.
Their appeal begins with location. Set beside alpine lakes, dramatic mountain ranges and remote coastlines, many lodges offer a sense of privacy and immersion in nature that is increasingly rare in global luxury travel.
A tour from Tomarata in the North Island to Queenstown in the South greeted us with a different view each morning, from the sun rising over the ocean to views of snow-capped mountains and picture-perfect lakes.
The lodges themselves are stunning, with every comfort you could possibly need or want.
NZ’s rich agricultural landscape also plays a defining role. Exceptional local produce, from fresh seafood and lamb to artisan cheeses, allows lodge chefs to create sophisticated farm-to-table dining experiences.
This is complemented by internationally acclaimed wine regions such as Marlborough and Central Otago.
Ease of travel also adds to the appeal. Destinations are accessible by short flights, scenic drives or helicopter transfers, so you have plenty of time to enjoy everything each region has to offer.
Above all, it is the warmth and professionalism of New Zealand’s hospitality staff that elevates the experience.
Te Arai Links
An easy 90-minute drive north from Auckland airport, the stunning new Te Arai Links sits on the east coast of the North Island.
Just driving through the gates you know you are in for something special. The road in through the lush native landscape offers glimpses of the two championship links courses that sit alongside the ocean and pristine white-sand beach. As you pull up to the clubhouse to check in, the view expands, revealing the sparkling Pacific Ocean, refined resort and exquisite golf courses.
I’m travelling with my husband who is a keen golfer, and he has booked in for his first round within five minutes of our arrival. I don’t play golf but even I find the perfectly manicured and massive putting green in front of the clubhouse tantalising.
Te Arai Links has ocean view rooms, one- and two-bedroom ocean cottages and four-bedroom villas spread out across the generous property: they are all beautiful and blended into the environment. We have a spectacular two-bedroom ocean cottage, which is perfect to share with friends and family, that is a thoughtful balance between understated luxury and effortless comfort.
Every detail has been considered to make your stay memorable, from an outdoor fireplace to enjoy the ocean-front view and star-studded nights, to warm timber finishes, heated floors and premium locally sourced mini bar to ensure every creature comfort is considered.
For the non-golfers there’s a beautiful spa, gym, hydrotherapy garden, walking and cycling trails, pristine beach, impressive sports courts and a playground. You can also take surfing lessons, go on guided kayak and paddleboard tours, go fishing and horseback riding.
Te Arai Links also delivers destination dining at its best. Ocean Restaurant is a stylish venue with great views, vibrant flavours and exceptional local produce. The Trust Chef Menu is highly recommended; just make sure it includes the Haku Kingfish Crudo. Also overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the North Clubhouse has a more relaxed vibe, offering comforting classics and a delicious shared menu. There’s also the Halfway House and Silver Bean on the North and South courses for a coffee and quick bite.
Elevated experience: Te Arai has a private bar known as the ‘Bunker Bar’. Tucked inside a sand dune, withspectacular ocean views, it is available to members and their guests.
Okoro Villa
Owned and run by the most fabulous couple Howard and Beryl, Okoro Villa is one of the most peaceful places you could hope to experience.
A newcomer to New Zealand’s luxury lodge collection, Okoro delivers a very personal and bespoke experience. With its natural tones, textures and colours, as well as views of pristine nature wherever you turn, it’s the place to pause and reset.
Even though it’s only a 20-minute drive from Nelson airport, you feel like you are in your own private oasis. Perched high in a native forest on a 126-acre estate overlooking the Tasman Sea out to Mount Arthur, the luxury villa can be booked as an exclusive residence for up to eight guests or The Okoro Suite and The Treehouse can be booked separately for two guests in each.
The villa is designed to make the most of the view from wherever you are. Even the heated pool, cedar hot tub, cold plunge and traditional sauna look out over the bay to the mountains.
Included with each guest stay are the culinary services of outstanding Okoro Villa private chef, Michael McMeeken. Regarded as one of New Zealand’s top luxury lodge chefs, McMeeken changes his menu daily, depending on what’s available from the kitchen garden or local suppliers. His meals are exceptional, and thankfully there are plenty of walking and cycling trails close by to ensure you are ready for his next creation.
Don’t miss: Nelson must be one of the friendliest cities in the world, perhaps because they have a lot to smile about, thanks to its thriving arts scene and role as a hub for craft breweries and great wineries, as well as being the gateway to three national parks. It’s also New Zealand’s sunniest city.
Mt Cook Lakeside Retreat
It was love at first sight when Kaye and Luke Paardekooper found a property in the Mackenzie Basin. For 30 years they had run a busy events management business in Wellington and were ready for a more simple life on the South island where Luke had grown up.
When they found the property it was wild and untamed, with no roads, power or water. They couldn’t yet see Aoraki Mt Cook or Lake Pukaki, but they glimpsed the potential.
The Māori name for the Mackenzie Basin is Te Manahuna, which means ‘place of enlightenment’ or ‘place of energy’. Sitting 600m above sea level, the Mackenzie Basin is regarded as the NZ High Country and it’s distinguished by its big skies, high mountains, glaciers, turquoise glacial lakes and golden grasslands.
The property also sits within the internationally acclaimed Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve, ensuring that star-studded nights are free from light pollution.
When they began opening up the site, the majestic Aoraki Mt Cook and Lake Pukaki were revealed, perhaps one of the most beautiful views in the whole of New Zealand. They knew this magnificent place had to be shared.
After many years of hard work and steely determination, Mt Cook Lakeside Retreat is now one of the leading luxury lodges in New Zealand.
With five beautiful villas accommodating up to 22 guests, the retreat offers complete privacy, refined luxury, amazing cuisine and exquisite views at every turn. Kaye and Luke have been intimately involved in every stage of the design, construction and decoration, creating a place that feels natural, luxurious and welcoming.
Wherever you are on the property, the view will blow you away. To the east is the sparkling glacial Lake Pukaki with views to New Zealand’s highest peak, Aoraki Mt Cook. To the west is the majestic Ben Ohau ranges that turn rusty red in summer and are snow covered in winter.
“The ever-changing light and colours of this landscape were so captivating we chose a neutral palette for the interiors,” says Kaye.
The Moraine is the property’s exceptional restaurant, specialising in fine dining with a multi-course chef’s tasting menu each evening.
“Shaped by our talented chefs and a deep connection to our gardens, every dish reflects the land around us, the rhythm of the seasons, and the integrity of its ingredients,” says Kaye.
We stayed in the very spacious and beautiful 2-bedroom Villa Puaka, designed in the style of a grand European farmhouse complete with open fireplace, outdoor cedar hot tub with perhaps the best bathroom view in the world.
Elevated experience: Mt Cook Lakeside Retreat features its very own Pukaki Observatory and Wine Cellar. In collaboration with New Zealand’s leading wineries, the wine cellar features exceptional wines as well as Scottish whiskies. The observatory boasts a roll-off roof that opens to the night sky and an 8-inch refractor telescope.
Mahu Whenua
Mahu Whenua (meaning ‘healing the land’) is a luxury eco sanctuary and lodge near Wānaka. Originally owned by singer Shania Twain and her former husband, Mutt Lange, the 55,000-hectare estate is now solely owned by Lange.
In 2015 90% of the property was placed under permanent QEII Open Space Covenants. Lange also planted 1.5 million native trees, flaxes, shrubs and grasses to restore biodiversity.
The spectacular homestead and cottages are available on an exclusive-use basis for up to 10 guests. Facilities include a very talented on-site chef and host, outdoor heated swimming pool, and access to extensive private walking, horse riding and biking trails.
Flockhill
Spread across 14,500 ha in the Craigieburn Valley, approximately 90 minutes from Christchurch, Flockhill occupies a landscape so cinematic it once doubled as Narnia in the film adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
A working sheep station that has operated since 1857, the property now also features one of the most extraordinary luxury escapes.
At first glance, Flockhill appears almost minimalist in its design philosophy. The architecture is understated, intentionally allowing the surrounding landscape to dominate the experience. But this simplicity masks an extraordinary level of detail and sophistication. Designed with natural materials, textured stone, timber and expansive glass, the lodge seamlessly integrates into the environment. Interiors are warm and tactile creating spaces that feel simultaneously luxurious and grounded. It’s quiet luxury at its best.
Accommodation ranges from elegant suites to expansive private villas and the exclusive-use Homestead. Each room is designed to maximise the surrounding scenery and delight you with every comfort. Flockhill’s sense of place is perhaps most powerfully expressed through its culinary program.
The lodge’s signature restaurant, Sugarloaf, has quickly established itself as one of New Zealand’s most exciting dining destinations and is mostly stocked by Flockhill’s organic garden and foraged from the land.
It is helmed by Kiwi chef Taylor Cullen, who worked with the architect to create the dream kitchen. He says: “I’ve always wanted to grow my own food and cook it in the restaurant, and that’s what we do here. Harvest is great every day, and we have really passionate people. All the team live here so we can we talk every day about where we are going, what’s coming out of the ground, what I want to do with it, so we can grow to a specific size, taste and colour. The menu changes every day which is a logistical nightmare, but it’s really fun and creative.”
They develop about 50 dishes per season. “We focus on technique. It’s pretty prep heavy to drive that flavour, but it’s simple on the plate.”
Don’t miss: The Seasonal Set Tasting Menu at Sugarloaf is an absolute delight.
Matakauri House
Nestled on the shores of crystal-clear Lake Wakatipu and framed by the dramatic Southern Alps, Queenstown is one of the world’s most spectacular travel destinations.
Often described as the adventure capital of New Zealand, the town combines breathtaking scenery with a vibrant energy that’s perfect to visit year-round. Whether blanketed in snow during winter or glowing beneath long summer evenings, Queenstown offers an unforgettable blend of outdoor adventure, luxury hospitality and relaxed alpine charm.
The town is always lively, packed with amazing restaurants, boutique shops and art galleries and access to every adventure activity you could want. It’s also easy access to the Central Otago wine region, golf course, ski fields and must-visit places like Milford Sound and Glenorchy.
While the centre of Queenstown is fun, it can get packed and hectic, so it’s a treat to have a luxurious space to retreat to that can be shared with friends and family.
MajorDomo represents a collection of luxury villas and residences around Queenstown and Wanaka. Perfect for multi-generational family and friends, they are all stunning architectural properties with elevated experiences such as private chefs and full concierge services. They will even stock your kitchen with groceries and pre-made meals from fabulous McKibbon’s of Royalburn.
One of the gems in the MajorDomo collection is the 4-bedroom, 4-bathroom Matakauri House. This private luxury villa has everything you could need for a fabulous getaway, with breathtaking views, two lounge and dining areas, open fireplaces, fully equipped kitchen and laundry, heated plunge pool and stunning décor, plus a fabulous art collection. Only five minutes from the centre of town, it’s a Queenstown oasis.
Elevated experience: After a day of adventure on the ski fields, golf course or just wandering around town, it’s a wonderful experience to return to Matakauri House to have a private chef prepare you a wonderful feast, while you watch the sunset over the Remarkables.
Milford Sound Experience
The magnificent Milford Sound Business Class day trip by RealNZ and Altitude Tours begins as the sunrise streaks across Queenstown, when a guide collects you in a Mercedes Sprinter together with a small group of no more than 15 passengers for a scenic five-hour drive to Milford.
When you arrive at Milford it’s straight on to the fabulous boutique boat MV Sinbad, which has plenty of viewing areas. As you cruise through the stunning fjord for a couple of leisurely hours, you dine on a five-course degustation tasting journey. Between each course you can take in the breathtaking pristine wilderness that is Milford Sound. Once your cruise ends you can choose your return journey either by road, helicopter or plane.
Photographs: Ricky Robinson; Jono Parker; Zee Dichev / Imageworks; Jason Loucas; Lisa Sun.
