Zen in New Zealand

FOR a luxury retreat full of Eastern promise where you can rest your weary soul, you don't have to travel further than across the Tasman.

The Split Apple Retreat looks over the lovely Tasman Bay. Picture: Escape

I AM having a "wow" moment.

It is sunset at Motueka, near Nelson, on the west coast of New Zealand's South Island, and a peach-coloured sunset is filling the huge sky over Tasman Bay.

Even though there are snow-capped mountains to the east not far from here, the weather is balmy enough for me to consider a dip in the infinity pool that overlooks this magical waterway. But it's the onsen that holds the stronger appeal. As I sink into the warm, calming waters of this outdoor, Japanese-style spa bath, the wow moment hits me.

Split Apple Retreat
There are so many gobsmacking experiences to be had atSplit Apple Retreat, one of the newest luxury resort properties to open in increasingly glammed-up New Zealand, that it's almost difficult to pick the best of them. But an onsen spa bath at sunset is up there.

Just beside the onsen sits Split Apple Retreat's steam and massage rooms. Also located here is a cunning machine described as a "detox box" a very small wood-and-glass contraption in which a "detoxee" sits for 45 minutes at temperatures of about 50C.

If it sounds like an oven, it is. But it makes the user sweat out impurities through their skin. It works best if you can stand an extra 20 minutes in the steam room afterwards. Which I do, emerging to feel as though my skin is as sleek and pure as a child's.

Split Apple Retreat is the creation of eccentric American millionaire Lee Forster and his charming wife, Pen, who have devised this little hub of luxury as the perfect antidote to frenetic modern Western living. Lee was a GP in the US before settling in New Zealand, making his fortune here through the disparate pursuits of writing popular medical self-help books and playing poker on the international poker circuit.

The couple live at the retreat (except when clients book it out in its entirety) and Pen does all the cooking for guests.

Indeed, healthy, beautifully presented cuisine is one of the focal points at Split Apple. Lee has used his medical expertise to fashion a retreat fully designed for complete relaxation and "wellness", and this extends to the food. The menu is entirely low-GI and mostly organic. Breakfast involves dishes such as manuka-smoked salmon with egg-white omelette, or buckwheat and blueberry pancakes with organic maple syrup, while lunch is often a hearty salad of vegetables fresh from the garden.

Pen's four-course dinners use such luxury items as steamed lobster, spring lamb with mint sauce and Japanese-inspired exotic mushroom soups, while Lee's abundantly stocked cellar boasts bottles from some of the best vineyards in France, California, New Zealand and Australia. And yes, you are allowed to drink (a little) as Lee believes a moderate alcohol intake is good for you. The food is delicious and it really does make you feel full without feeling bloated.

While good food is all very well, what you really need at a wellness retreat is peace and quiet to relax, and space to breathe. This being New Zealand, there is plenty of that. The retreat has only three plush rooms, plentiful communal areas and a movie theatrette. It's been designed with a Japanese sensibility, so the decor is all zen lines, soft wooden floors and Japanese baths.

For all this Asian appeal, I love the luxury European bedlinen and the views out the sliding glass doors past the two private decks, per room, which hover over the hillside that tumbles down towards the cute private beach below. Walk down here and you might just find seals frolicking and sunning themselves, even during the summer months.

Split Apple Hideaway
Also worth knowing about in these parts is Split Apple Hideaway,a huge, California-style beachhouse/lodge around the point from Split Apple Retreat, closer to Nelson.

Owned by another American couple, Alan and Shelly Trent, the Hideaway has links with the Retreat while remaining a separate property. (The "Split Apple", incidentally, is a rock formation just off the beach between the two properties).

The four-level, four-bedroom house, which can be let with or without a private chef, is a study in opulence. I stayed in the upstairs bedroom, complete with windowside bath, enormous widescreen television and underfloor heating, and woke up in the morning to see a seal swimming near the beach down below. But the views from almost every room are stunning.

Perhaps the best thing about the Hideaway is its private beach access. Leave the house and wander 50m to the secluded sands for some solo sunbaking or swimming. Alan will also arrange to pick you up from Nelson airport and leave you with the keys to one of his several BMWs, in case you feel inclined to leave this rock star house to see the awe-inspiring surrounds.

Travel Tips:New Zealand Destination Guide 

Holiday Ideas:Luxury Escapes

Elizabeth Meryment was a guest of Spilt Apple Retreat, Split Apple Hideaway and Tourism New Zealand.