| |
|
|
Earthsong Lodge
The owners of Earthsong Lodge in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf say they've never had problems with anyone not paying their bill at the end of the visit.
That could have something to do with the fact that once on Great Barrier Island (30 minute flight or two hour ferry ride from Auckland), the luxury lodge is accessible only by 4WD (four-wheel drive) or helicopter due to the rugged terrain.
'It's pretty hard to get off the island without our help,' laughs Trevor Rendle, owner and co-host of Earthsong Lodge.
Not that those who visit are likely to have difficulty paying.
'The people who stay here are obviously reasonably financially well off,' says Rendle, who runs the lodge with his wife Carol. 'That said, we deliberately set our price at a lower range ($NZ375 a night, high season; $295 off-season), because we also want to attract people from Auckland who wish to come over for a wedding anniversary, honeymoon, birthday surprise treat or a general getaway.'
Former Aucklanders Trevor and Carol decided in the 1980s they wanted to build a lodge. Trevor had worked for Air New Zealand as an in-flight service director for nearly 27 years, but was a chef by trade. Carol had worked in the hospitality industry in Switzerland and London.
'We set about looking all around the country,' explains Trevor. 'We wanted 10 acres of land. We wanted to be on the beach. We wanted native bush and a stream running through it. We wanted it to be within two hours of a major population centre - and we wanted it for nothing!'
They got 9 out of 10 - and bought the 12 1/2-acre property in 1993, planting it out in a few hundred olive trees and putting a road in before building. They intend to have an olive press eventually. Earthsong Lodge sits atop a hill overlooking Tryphena Harbour, with views across to the Coromandel and with the nightlights of Auckland a faint glow on the horizon.
The dusky orange building is constructed using a Kiwi 'green' philosophy, with the walls made of straw-bales, the floors of eucalyptus and the joinery of native rimu. (Yes, Rendle laughs, they've heard all the Three Little Pig straw house jokes…)
The straw-bale walls are the by-product of the long stalks of rye (in this case, but wheat and barley can also be used) left after the rye is sent to the mill to make flour. The stalks are baled up in traditional hay bale style and, once the weight-bearing poster beams are in place, the walls are created with the horizontally laid building blocks of straw, around 60cm thick. The walls are then plastered and 'painted' with a special German silica colouring that allows them to breathe.
'The silica stops water getting into the wall but allows the air to pass through,' explains Rendle. 'So the walls are breathing walls — as they’re not sealed, you don't get condensation building up on the windows like you do with an hermetically-sealed house. It’s a very healthy building to live in.'
And health is generally what the clients come for - be it mental, spiritual, physical or emotional. Many come to completely unwind, busy couples often come to reacquaint themselves. Guests arrive from all over the world, with most from North America, Europe and Britain.
'If they're coming from Europe or North America they typically fly in on an Air New Zealand flight that arrives at about 6:00am. They change over to Great Barrier Airlines, departing from the domestic terminal in Auckland. That leaves at 7:45am, so gives them time to clear Customs. Half an hour later, at 8:15, they're on the island and about 20 minutes after that they're in the lodge.'
Quite a few visitors come by helicopter too, being a well-heeled lot. There have been a few famous faces, but Rendle is far too professional to divulge whom.
He and Carol are very much 'people' people, and this is reflected in the personalised service they offer. Earthsong Lodge has just four chalets, so by its nature the service is attentive, but in no way cloying.
'People who come here want to get away from TV and telephone and have that close to nature experience,' says Rendle. Sometimes they've just flown into New Zealand for a tour, and begin that tour by getting over their jetlag at Earthsong.
The area is surrounded by native bush in Department of Conservation-protected land. Guests enjoy going for long walks, with a dip in the natural hot springs on the way back, to ease tired muscles. If they wish, they can also have an aromatherapy massage in their room, with several masseurs from the island coming to service Earthsong's clients as needed. Guests can go fishing and golfing, swim in the sea or scuba dive.
'It's like stepping back in time here - it’s like the Coromandel Peninsula was in the 1950s. We generate our own power, there are no street lights and minimal roads.'
'You get wonderfully starry, starry nights here because there are no street lights,' says Rendle.
The restaurant features local organic produce, including freshly-caught fish, and award-winning New Zealand wines. Earthsong adopts the Slow Food philosophy (and is part of the Slow Food Movement), which doesn't mean you wait hours for your meal, but does mean you take time to enjoy it, the company and the experience. The Slow Food movement's emblem is a snail and the philosophy began in Italy in opposition to fast-food culture.
It fits well with the Great Barrier Island lifestyle (resident population 1050) where there's not a lot to hurry for and where you can travel safely without being blinded by the golden arches of 'the big M'.
Rendle says despite the small population and relative remoteness of the island, he and Carol are by no means living as hermits.
'We have a social life here - people on the Barrier have a good social life and everyone knows each other. There's a real cross-section of interesting people - far more than when we lived in Auckland and hardly knew the neighbours. We also enjoy meeting all of our guests who come from all around the world.
'For us it's a business decision here, but it's also a lifestyle decision. It's just a glorious place to live.'
Further Information:
Trevor and Carol Rendle
Phone +64 9 429 0030
Email info@earthsong.co.nz
These topics may also be of interest to you
|
|
|
www.newzealand.com Pages
|
|
|
Other Sites
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
