With our borders closed, 2021 is the year to explore the beautiful South Island of New Zealand.
Editor Trudi Brewer took a trip to rediscover her native Aotearoa, as a tourist.
Christchurch
A decade on from a series of devastating earthquakes, Christchurch is still in recovery mode. What struck me this visit is how Cantabrians' have used a tragedy to create a victory, remodelling a city with a renewed spirit. It feels re-energised; the city shines with the best of what New Zealand has on offer. It's lush and green, sophisticated, stylish, free-spirited with world-class art and delicious cuisine.
Where to stay
Not my first stay to The George, so for me, it felt like coming home. With every detail, a five-star boutique hotel considers, we're made to feel like family when we arrive. Going the extra mile (including writing a full itinerary of where to eat and visit on my road trip to Akaroa), made our stay unforgettable. From the insanely good coffee, and fine southern rosè, to the little touches like The George teddy bear and chocolate on our bed at the end of the day, are just some of the reasons why we would always return. I have said this before, it's intimate, sophisticated and elegantly stylish, but more than that, the hospitality from the staff is warm and gracious.
The Luxe Couples Getaway romance package, which includes a night in the premium executive room, a bottle of Nautilus bubbles on arrival, a sweet treat platter, and a boxed white rose followed by breakfast for two in 50 Bistro (or delivered to your room costs $459.
The George Art Tour
This month, The George kicks off its collaboration with Christchurch Art Gallery to share their impressive collection of New Zealand art. From the prized Hotere's on show in the lobby to the late, great, Bill Hammond's, dotted around the hotel. John Pule's work is hung in the upstairs bathrooms, and four bronze violins by sculpture artist Stephen Gleeson, add the wow factor to this hotel. Quietly displayed, the collection has been refining since 1990. It’s only now that The George's team are ready to show it off with a guided tour, (which I was lucky enough to have one of the first showings, guided by the Christchurch Art Gallery’s director Blair Jackson). With a glass of celebratory bubbles, we got to see and hear the history of each piece. Along with this priceless art, there is no shortage of smart features in this hotel, including the cleverly designed bathrooms, the communal lobby bar welcomes you with open arms and the food and beverages. It's the best boutique hotel in a city with the biggest heart. In fact, after our recent stay, we think it should be renamed 'Christchurch the Art and Garden City'.
Book an art tour at The George. Visit here
Bistro 50
I'm a breakfast addict; I could happily skip lunch for eggs served any style accompanied by good coffee. The George makes a fine free-range eggs-bene with southern salmon - perfect after a plate of fresh seasonal fruit and pastries from the buffet. Dine in-house after five on Akaroa salmon (you can’t beat it) with seasonal sauté greens, and confit tomatoes it's delicious. As was the free-range chicken, seasonal greens, corn, potato rosti, and crispy prosciutto. Finally, if you're heading off on a road trip (like us) don't forget to grab The George keeper coffee cup. It's the ideal way to refill at every stop without leaving takeaway cups across our beautiful country.
Bistro 50 at The George, visit here.
The George's Bistro 50 serves a hearty breakfast, lunch, high tea, an excellent cheese platter at the bar, as well as dinner seven days a week. Visit here.
Where to eat in Christchurch
Chiwhawah Mexican Cantina
If you're in town for a few days, head to Oxford Terrace. It's here you will find a range of different cuisine. If you like Mexican, the salsa and Fajitas at Chiwhawha are exceptional. For something light and spicy, try the duck salad, with avocado, pomegranate, and toasted coconut, but do share; the portion sizes are massive. Chiwhawah Mexican Cantina, 136 Oxford Terrace, Christchurch. Visit here.
Earl
Earl is an all-day Italian eatery, and if you fancy a big serve of pasta, here is where you will find it. Don't leave without tasting the eggplant caviar and the heirloom tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella. Also, from 3 pm until 6 pm, their Aperitivo, (Italian for a pre-meal drink), it’s the perfect chance to try delicious snacks, and a glass of good Italian red. Open from Tuesday until Saturday from 5 pm. Earl Christchurch, 128 Lichfield Street, Central Christchurch. Visit here.
Cellar Door
I found the Cellar Door quite by accident, and it's the perfect petite place to taste some of the finest Southern wine. It's inside the heritage Arts Centre, (recently restored) looking out onto a grassy courtyard. It has an impressive, extensive wine list and delicious sharing plates, including dessert to match. Locals say that you must book if you want to go with a crowd. Open from 11 am until late.
Cellar Door in the south quad of the Christchurch Arts Centre, 1 Hereford Street, Christchurch Central. Visit here.
Allpress
Finally, if you're coffee snobs (like we are), satisfy that caffeine craving at this cafe and coffee roasters. It also offers nice cabinet food including delicious cheese scones, heated with lashings of melted butter. Open from 7.30 am until 3 pm.
Allpress, 110 Montreal Street, Sydenham, Christchurch. Visit here
Queenstown
Where to stay
Hulbert House is Queenstown's best-kept secret. An elegant, grand old Maison sits proudly on Ballarat Street's hill overlooking stunning views of Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkable's beyond. It dates back to 1888, and if the walls could talk, it would share a colourful history. It had been a boarding house, a girls school, and a backpackers accommodation before it was purchased by a Japanese family and lovingly restored in 2016 to its heritage status. It's a showstopper, luxury six-room boutique hotel from the soft lemon and white exterior to Victorian detail galore inside. Flamboyant Interior designer Neil McLachlan themed every room, which successfully mixes vintage style with a clash of modern colours. Every piece is artfully appointed, from the willow pattern china to the divine Egyptian cotton bathrobes and dreamy Hungarian goose duvets that allow you to sink into the super king bed and sleep like a baby. Hosts Jade and Jay are there to cater to your every whim, making it a hotel-away-from home. It's here that nothing is left to chance. Your stay includes a full cooked breakfast, refreshments on tap all day, and pre-dinner drinks before heading into town for a meal. Hulbert House is much like Queenstown, exquisite looking, unique, and memorable. Fit for royalty, yet very discreet, it's in the centre of one of our most happening towns. Hulbert House is a head-turning hotel of curious beauty.
Hulbert House, 68 Ballarat Street, Queenstown.Visit here
Hulbert House, 68 Ballarat Street, Queenstown. The premium room cost $900, special offers are available. Visit here
Where to eat in Queenstown
Tanoshi Teppan and Sake Japanese
We adore fresh, authentic, Japanese cuisine, and a short stroll down to Cow Lane is where you will find a friendly, relaxed restaurant that offers table service or you can dine from the bar. We recommend the spicy sashimi tuna, avocado roll, pork dumplings, and perfectly seared beef Tataki with garlic and spring onion. It's the kind of place where you will have food envy watching the dishes emerge from the open kitchen. Our advice, visit when you're starving, so you're tempted by several delicious dishes on offer.
Tanoshi Teppan and Sake Japanese open for lunch until late evening. Visit here.
Nest Bar & Kitchen
The Mediterranean flavours and stunning views over Lake Wakatipu make this an excellent option for a sharing-style meal. We ate the fish tacos and heirloom tomato salad with buffalo mozzarella, and poached beetroot, it was the perfect amount for two. From small bites or a generous main, you must leave room for the mouth-watering piña colada pannacotta with pineapple and lime sorbet.
Open from 7 am until 10 pm, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Nest Bar & Kitchen, 139 Fernhill Road, Queenstown. Visit here.
Furgburger
Who doesn't love a burger, and this bar is a global icon. Furgburger has expanded since our last visit to Queenstown, with Furg Baker, for coffee, pies, and pastries, Mrs Furg Gelateria with a range of ice-cream and sorbet, and Furg’s Bar, a dine-in restaurant. However, it's the mouth-watering, oversized burgers that Furg is famous for. Made with prime NZ beef, the Furg Deluxe will satisfy a giant hunger as will the Cock Cajun if you like a spicy kick. Vegetarians you are catered for too. Try the Holier Than Thou, satay tempura tofu burger. A side of hand-cut onion rings should accompany every burger with aioli - trust us. Open from eight am until late.
Find Furgburger culinary empire, Shotover Street, Queenstown. Visit here
Bella Cucina
Just across the road from the Furg eating empire, is Bella Cucina. You can carbo-load until your heart's content here. The menu varies daily, on the night we visited, the mushroom lasagna was one of the best Italian dishes we have ever eaten. Share a bottle of Chianti with a pizza the two together are perfection - and yes, the Tiramisu tastes as good as it looks. The food here is home-style Italian cooking at it's finest. Open from 5 pm until late. Bella Cucina 6 Brecon Street, Queenstown. Visit here
Wānaka
What strikes you as you drive into the heart of Wānaka is the azure blue Lake Wānaka, surrounded by the post-card perfect snow-sprinkled Cardrona mountains. It's New Zealand's fourth-largest lake, with glass-like stillness on the day we arrived. Famous for its excellent salmon and rainbow trout, for local jet-ski owners, it's a playground on their doorstep. It's been 20 years since our last visit, and we were seduced by how heavenly it would be pack up and move south.
Where to stay
There's plenty of accommodation at this lakeside paradise. From luxe-y to budget (we stayed with friends this trip to attend a wedding), if you truly want to get away from it all and feel like a celebrity for a few days Minaret Station Alpine Lodge is stunning. Set in a tranquil valley with nothing but the Southern Alps to stare out at, it's so remote it can only be accessed by helicopter. Room rates from $2000 per night. Eco-lodge Mahu Whenua is in Otago's high country, 20 minutes drive from Wāaka township. If you want privacy and exquisite cuisine, it's here you will find it. Book the Tui suite, so you can enjoy a long hot soak looking out at the mountains in a copper bathtub, room rates from $1,850 per night. For a family-friendly stay, the Edgewater Resort Hotel is right on the lake, and five minutes stroll to Wānaka town. You can dine in at the Wineglass Cafè, which is open daily from eight am until late. Room rates from $158 per night.
Where to eat in Wanaka
Bistro Gentil
A lovely friend, who is now a Wānaka local gave me a heads up on where to eat out for our stay. First, a must, the elegant yet rustic Bistro Gentil surrounded by lavender with a menu influenced by French cuisine. The team use local seasonal ingredients (including greens from the kitchen garden grown onsite), to create a special dining experience. A must, slow-cooked crispy fried beef belly, scorched goats cheese, plum chutney, and beetroot. Or 'trust the chef' and enjoy two courses for $55 or three for $65. Leave room for the trio of cheeses, for $32.
Bistro Gentil 76a Golf Course Road, Wanaka. Visit here.
Ode Wanāka
Ode Wanaka has created conscious dining at its best. Their mantra to serve organic, ethical, sustainable, seasonal food that supports local growers is worth tasting. The Hawea tomatoes with Wairiri buffalo mozzarella, sourdough crostini and Comwell olive oil - is next level. So are the Wānaka handmade potato crisps. Make sure you finish your meal with the Clutha gold apricot ice cream - enough said.
Ode Wanaka 33 Ardmore Street Post Office Lane Wanaka. Visit here.
Scroggin Coffee and Eatery
For breakfast and good coffee, organic cafe Scroggin Coffee and Eatery, make a great eggs-bene served on potato rosti, with crispy kale, honey hollandaise, chilli oil, and fresh rocket. The range of hot and cold brew coffee is impressive, as is the menu loaded with local organic greens.
Scroggin Coffee and Eatery, 71 Ardmore Street Wānaka, Visit here.
Francesca's Kitchen Wanaka
Locals rate Francesca's Kitchen Wanaka, for the delicious rustic Italian food and so do we. The spinach and goat's cheese ravioli, pizza topped with mozzarella and parma ham, accompanied with polenta fries dosed in truffle aioli - one word - amazing. Don't leave without sharing the sweet cannoli, made with a mouth-watering crisp pastry filled with Italian custard - close your eyes and you're transported to Italy from the first bite. If you want to take a piece of this fab eatery home, Francesca's Italian cookbook is for sale. Bookings are essential for groups.
Open from noon until late, daily. Francesca's Kitchen Wanaka, 93 Ardmore Street, Wanaka Visit here.
Wanāka Lavender Farm
I wish you could scratch and sniff these photos, to appreciate the 20 acres of glorious lavender fields in full bloom. The perfect backdrop for a selfie, it’s a short drive outside Wanaka, the ideal place to rest and inhale. Pop in or have a leisurely stay, and enjoy tea and homemade lavender and honey-infused treats from the cafe. You can shop and view the homegrown lavender-infused beauty products, made onsite daily. High summer is the best time to visit; I promise it's a thrill for all your senses. This farm is a little slice of heaven on earth.
Wanaka Lavender Farm is Open from September until May, nine to five, seven days a week, cost $5 per person it enter. Visit here.
Akaroa
One of New Zealand's best seaside hideaways is Akaroa (which in Moāri means long harbour). Canterbury's oldest town on the Banks Peninsula was founded in1840 by French settlers, and that influence remains today. From the food, to the street names and architecture. Dotted along sitting close together are 19th-century cottages, lovingly restored lighthouse, as is the relocated landmark Lighthouse.
From swimming with dolphins, to tasting the locally made rosè and aged Pecorino cheese, it's the closest thing to a quaint European holiday any of us will get to any time soon.
Where to stay
The moment you arrive at the exquisitely restored French Bay House hosts Tim and Jacqui with their gorgeous baby George, make you feel like family. Built back in 1874, this gothic style villa, was once the doctor's residence in Akaroa, complete with surgery. Today it's one of the quaintest boutique hotels you will ever visit. The well-travelled hosts moved back to Akaroa in 2017, after years of working in tourism in Hong Kong, London, Scotland, and the French Alps. Their hospitality is second to none. Greeted by Tim, ( we arrived behind schedule at 7 pm), his first words were the offer of a chilled glass of rosè. I knew from that moment our stay was going to be charming.
With four king rooms, ours was called Onuku (meaning peace and unity), and that is exactly what we found here at French Bay House. The room with luxe-y en-suite bathroom and a large bay window overlooking the cottage garden, blooming with roses, hydrangeas and hollyhocks complements the English modern country interior. The hosts are helpful without hovering, and they encourage you to help yourself to a glass of wine and fresh seasonal fruit, in the communal dining room. Breakfast is included in your stay and served when you fancy. My pick Jacqui's homemade granola with yoghurt followed by a vegetarian cooked breakfast. Tim's creamy spinach with free-range eggs and grilled tomato - is perfection.
In a country with plenty of luxury hotels, and houses to rent, there are precious few boutique inns like the French Bay House, which is in a class of its own.
French Bay House, 113 Rue Jolie Akaroa 7520, South Island Book Visit here.
Harbour Beach Bar
Watch the sun go down at this beachside bar; the view is stunning. The fresh fish tacos (the fish caught in the harbour that morning), with a glass of rosè, was just what we needed to kick off a few days of R&R in Akaroa. Open seven days from noon until late, the coffee and brunch menu are also brilliant.
Harbar Beachbar & Kitchen 83 Rue Jolie, Akaroa. Visit here.
French Farm Winery
It would be a crime not to visit a vineyard when travelling down South. On the day we set off to fine one, French Bay Winery nestled in hills of the French Farm valley was just opening its doors for lunch. It a large Italian-style winery, where you can host an event, or book inn a stay. We settled in for the afternoon, and ordered the cheese platter, its divine. Along with a bottle of gorgeous rosé, of course. Sit outside under the umbrellas and all you will hear is running water from the stream that meanders through the property, and native bird song.
French Bay Winery 12 Winery Road, Akaroa. Visit Here.
Mandala Restaurant
Recommended, it did not disappoint. The pacific Indian-Asian flavours at this unique restaurant are divine. Using local produce including the Akaroa salmon marinated in black olive chutney, with summer greens is heavenly. The combination of pastitsio cheesecake, with a glass of Luna rose, is perfect for those with a sweet tooth. Open during the week, 5 pm until 9 pm. Weekends for lunch and dinner from 11.30 am until 9 pm.
Mandala Restaurant 40F Rue Lavaud Akaroa. Visit here
Barrys Bay Cheese
We could live on a diet of wine and cheese, so for us, a must was to pop into Barrys Bay Cheese, near Duvauchelles on the Peninsula. Established in 1895, they're famous for their Cheddar and Dutch-style Gouda, but for us, the aged Pecorino made from Canterbury sheep milk was hands down the best on offer from the tasting room that day. Cheesemaking happens daily (which you can view from behind glass in the shop). From October to May, when fresh local milk is abundant.
The cheese shop is open from 9 am until 5 pm daily at Barrys Bay Cheese. Visit here
Coffee in Akaroa
Where to get a good flat white is a top priority when we travel. Apparently, Rona's (74 Rue Lavaud, Akaroa) is great. Sadly it was not open on the days, we were in Akaroa. However, Sweet As French Bakery was. The French baguette and pastries made onsite by a clever French baker; with great coffee are delicious. Eaten outdoors on the red and white check table cloth under a canopy of stunning ruby red Bourginvialla, bought back memories of a holiday in Eze, Nice in the South of France. Rona's 74 Rue Lavaud, Akaroa Visit here. Sweet As Bakery, 63 Rue Lavaud, Akaroa. Visit here.
The Giants House
The Giants House garden was a project that took 20-years of dedication. Creating this Gaudí-Esque ceramic work of art, was the vision of one artist, Josie Martin. A sculptor, painter and ceramic artist, she has filled her terraced garden with colourful perennial flowers, vegetables and fruit trees amongst her phenomenal sculptural ceramic artworks that complement her elegant, colourful 1880's two-story villa. With numerous awards and scholarships to her name, including art residencies in Italy, the USA, and the South of France, Martin's lives onsite as the keeper of this unique, living masterpiece. It's almost impossible to capture this creativity in photos; if you visit Akaroa, this is a must-see. On the day we went, the garden was highlighted by blazing sunshine (the temperature a steamy 34 degrees), and meeting artist Josie Martin and hearing her story on how her garden organically grew was a highlight of our trip south. "It all started with a ceramic step just outside the front door; I used old china I had found in the garden while I was landscaping; the garden and ceramic sculpture just grew from there," says Martin. Who enjoyed the April 2020 COVID lockdown, "It was great, I got to spend weeks in the garden, uninterrupted, and sculptured the giant rabbit", which was one of our favourite pieces in this incredible pièce de résistance.
The Giants House is open summer, from October 1 to April 30 11 am until four pm. In winter, May 1 until September 30, 11 am until 2 pm. The cost is $25 per person. Visit her
Editor Trudi Brewer with The Giant's House artist Josie Martin, and her stunning hilltop garden in Akaroa.