Hibernating in Queenstown heaven

BEING snowed in during a visit to Queenstown turned out to be one of the best things that could have happened to Brian Crisp.

Escape - NZ

MONDAY, August 15. Memo to boss:

Dear John,
I can't make it to work today as Queenstown is snowed in.
No flights until Wednesday. Maybe Friday. The good news is I'm staying at Matakauri Lodge so it's not really a hardship at all.
Cheers,
Brian Crisp.

I could think of worse places to be snowed in than Queenstown, on New Zealand's South Island.

My wife had been working 70-hour weeks and desperately needed a break.

We had a two-day window of opportunity last weekend, which allowed us time to fly into Queenstown, have a day skiing at Treble Cone, dine at the acclaimed Saffron and hit the wineries before flying home, armed with some pinot noir, early on Monday morning.

It was all going to plan until the weather gods intervened.

By Sunday afternoon Queenstown was in chaos, covered by a thin veneer of snow. The airport had closed, the roads were slippery and the queue at Fergburger was even longer than usual.

This kind of snowfall is unusual for New Zealand, but it is manna from heaven for the ski fields, setting them up for a sensational spring season.

Lodge of luxury
By 6.30 on Monday morning the snow was calf deep and rising at Matakauri Lodge and the Jetstar website advised that our flight home had been cancelled.

There was nothing we could do except go back and snuggle in our king-sized bed while we watched the snow pile up outside. Matakauri Lodge is owned by the Robertson clan.

It is the baby sister property to the famous Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers, both on the country's North Island.

Matakauri Lodge, under its current ownership, reopened in August last year after a 12-month renovation.

It sits isolated above Lake Wakatipu on the Glenorchy Road, about 7km from Queenstown. The lodge itself, and all of the 11 suites, look out over the lake to Cecil and Walter peaks, as well as the Remarkables Ranges.

Like Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers, this lodge is elegant and understated but oozes warmth and charm. A collection of lounges and oversized chairs fills the sitting room, which is heated by dual fireplaces.

Nothing is out of place, yet you never feel uncomfortable just collapsing in a lounge and reading a book for a few hours. That's the secret of Matakauri. It feels like your home, but with eager staff running around getting you things to eat and drink.

At night this area is transformed into a dining room, where the skills of executive chef Dale Gartland are on display for guests only to enjoy.

The menu changes each night. Both times we dined it was a fresh produce-inspired tasting menu consisting of four courses, cheese and dessert served with matching wines. The food is part of the nightly tariff so there's really no need to hold back.

The only thing you should be aware of is that you need to wear a jacket. Thankfully they had an extra jacket in the closet.

Both the design and the layout of the suites ours (Suite 9) had a combined open-plan lounge/bedroom and a fireplace encourage you to curl up on the lounge, wrap yourself in a mohair rug and just enjoy the view, which is truly mind-blowing.

The service here is without peer. Every time we left the room, someone would come and tidy. When we arrived back from our ski trip, we were met at the top of the outdoor stairs and handed our room key, which meant we could go straight to our room rather than having to lug our ski gear to reception beforehand.

When the snow caused flight chaos, the front-desk staff made all the calls to discover what was happening. They also re-booked flights for guests. The attention to detail was astounding.

The only downside of all the snow was there was so much that we couldn't get back to the mountain to ski and after flying to Treble Cone with Glenorchy Air on Saturday, the thought of driving the 90 minutes to Wanaka was not all that appealing.

Because our time on the ground was restricted, we opted to take the air route to the ski field.

For Glenorchy Air, famous for flying The Lord of the Rings cast around, operating scenic flights to places like Milford Sound is its bread and butter, but chief pilot Rob Rutherford loves taking skiers to Treble Cone.

Our flight from Queenstown airport took about 15 minutes as we headed out over the Arrow River Valley and around to the base of Treble Cone.

I was sitting next to Rutherford and skimming the mountaintops was one of the most breathtaking things I have done in a plane.

That was until he announced we were about to land at Twin Falls airstrip. I looked out of the window but couldn't see a runway. Twin Falls airstrip is a paddock filled with deer and landing there was quite unexpected.

A skier's mountain
The plane was greeted by a shuttle that took us up the mountain to Treble Cone, where Rutherford joined us for a day's skiing. No wonder he likes doing the ski trips.

Treble Cone is a skier's mountain, with lots of opportunities to go off piste, go fast and go often. The fact it is such a big mountain (550ha of skiable area) helps keep lift lines short.

It is a mountain where the terrain suits better skiers. There are not a lot of beginner areas (only 10 per cent) and even the green runs can be a bit tight.

If you want to stretch yourself, there are some challenging runs in the Saddle Basin and some fantastic natural half-pipes to get your heart racing.

It is also regarded as the best-value ski field in Australia and New Zealand. Your Money magazine rated Treble Cone the best in a survey this year.

And when the conditions are good, like they were this week, there's no better place to be snowed in.

The writer was a guest of Matakauri Lodge.

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