Luxury lodges down-under: Blanket Bay
At the northern end of Lake Wakatipu, not far from the back-in-time riverside village of Glenorchy, sits one of New Zealand's most luxurious examples of lodge accommodation - award-winning Blanket Bay Lodge.
Nearby, a little further up the Dart River, is an area known as Paradise. It was named for the Paradise duck, but the stunning scenery and extraordinary peacefulness means this could well be Eden.
Tom Tusher thought he'd found heaven on earth there 34 years ago. On business in Australia, the now retired president and CEO of Levi-Strauss popped across the Tasman for a spot of fishing, and bought the land on which Blanket Bay Lodge now sits.
Story of Blanket Bay
"Tom recognised that it was a unique spot and said 'let's put this in our back pocket and think about this in 20 years' time when I retire.
"But due to his success, the plans for what was going to be built there grew from his own fishing bach [holiday home] to a private house to a bed and breakfast until we ended with where we're at today," long-serving Blanket Bay manager Philip Jenkins said.
Today, on riverside land overlooking Wakatipu and the Humboldt mountain range, stands an impressive building that blends subtly with its surroundings.
Built in naturally occurring schist and native timber, sourced from old steamer wharf beams, it was designed by US architect Jim McLaughlin for minimal impact on the pristine environment.
Pioneer farmers
The lodge's name recalls the 19th century pioneer farmers who made rough shelters from blankets to use when shearing their sheep.
Today, while all 13 rooms have the same huge views of the lake, guests sleep in king-size beds in suites with large decks and a steam room in the bathroom.
Guests dine on fare such as venison and salmon prepared by an award-winning kitchen (under executive chef Mark Sycamore), served with international award-winning New Zealand wines.
And staff can arrange anything from scenic flights off the helipad with room for six helicopters to fly-fishing, horse-riding or thrill-seeking jet-boating.
Army training
After time in the British Army, Jenkins - a Sandhurst graduate - spent 12 years involved in yacht chartering. He says that running a lodge is not dissimilar to a large yacht.
Jenkins played a key role in the early success of Queenstown's Nugget Point Resort, and helped establish Wharekauhau - another world-class lodge - in the Wairarapa, near Wellington.
After 25 years in New Zealand, Jenkins says he doesn't miss London lights because, despite its remote appearance, Blanket Bay offers the best of both worlds - "Far from stuck in the middle of nowhere, it's very close to Queenstown ... to where the action is."
Queenstown adventure
Guests rarely spend the day at the lodge, most choosing to explore Queenstown's renowned adventure activities - river jet boats, skiing, bungy jumping and other action-packed thrills.
Others prefer a quieter style - hikes or walks in the Glenorchy area where they can get away from it all, or do a spot of fishing.
Next door to the lodge is a 65,000-acre working sheep station, also owned by Tusher, where visitors can experience farm life, usually on horseback.
New luxury tier
Jenkins says that the growth in luxury lodges has added another tier to New Zealand accommodation options, particularly for international visitors.
"What's come along is a number of investors - and they're all American with the exception of Alex van Heeren, the owner of Huka Lodge, who is Dutch. There's Blanket Bay, The Lodge at Paratiho Farms and Wharekauhau, almost entirely owned by American investors. There's also Kauri Cliffs up in the Bay of Islands [and The Farm at Cape Kidnappers]," Jenkins explains.
"Those lodges have set themselves apart from the others principally by the size of the investment put into them ... They now fall into a tier of their own and have risen above other luxury lodges simply because of the level of investment. The media have dubbed them Super Lodges."
Jenkins says the reason for the lack of New Zealand investors is that "lodges will never give you a sensible return on your investment. It's sheer economics. If you put $NZ20 million into a 15-bedroom property, there is no way you’ll get a return on that in a country of 4 million people."
"It's money you could easily put in a bank and you'll get significantly more of a return on it than you would by trying to run a lodge."
"So really it's a labour of love for foreign investors. If you look at Kauri Cliffs, Julian Robertson has built a wonderful golf course up there and that’s a labour of love. He recognised he had to build a lodge on it because he's not going to get people from New Zealand come and pay up to $NZ400 for a round of golf."
New Zealand environment
So far, international investors have been very aware of the significance of the environment to New Zealanders.
Kauri Cliffs, for example, has been planted out in native kauri forests - far more than would have been there had the investor not built the lodge. Tusher too was determined not to damage the environment he had fallen for 34 years earlier.
"When the architect came down here he looked at it and quickly realised that logs [like the Sun Valley homes] weren’t going to work and changed them to schist," explains Jenkins. "His brief was the concept of very big homes in Sun Valley, with the same feel and look, but to produce it to fit into the New Zealand way."
The target market, however, is not Kiwis. "Our guests are mainly Americans," says Jenkins. "They travel south during their winter. They’re also European, with a large percentage from England. During the New Zealand winter, most guests are Australians."
International attention
In summer, the lodge has "about 40 people on the pay roll, including six chefs", while Jenkins works closely with guests making sure they get the most out of their stay.
His hard work has paid off as Blanket Bay Lodge consistently makes it into top international travel awards and lists.
San Francisco-based owners Tom and Pauline Tusher still visit regularly, spending several months each year enjoying 'Paradise' and the fishing that Tom originally came for.
More information:
Blanket Bay gets Condé Nast Readers Choice
New Zealand luxury lodges feature among world's best
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