NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Budget 2025
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Travel

Canterbury tales

By Rachel Glucina
Herald on Sunday·
2 Nov, 2009 03:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The exclusive Otahuna Lodge is a haven for foodies. Photo / Supplied

The exclusive Otahuna Lodge is a haven for foodies. Photo / Supplied

From the moment the driveway's electric gates slid open at a genteel pace, I knew time was no longer of importance. The frenetic pace of Auckland's rat race vanished in the tranquil paradise of Otahuna Lodge. Checking into a haven of relaxation was on the cards; checking out of mayhem was, too.

The long, winding driveway was littered with hundreds of golden daffodils underneath the mature oak trees. Patches of violets lay strewn among the foliage; a pair of ducks and a raft of ducklings waddled past.

The taxi driver made a sweeping turn on the gravel. "Look, they've come to greet you," he remarked as if his ride must be someone of importance. Later, I learned that the staff, lined up at the entrance as if in a scene from Brideshead Revisited, greet all their guests this way.

Just 20 minutes from Christchurch Airport lies one of New Zealand's best-kept luxury secrets. Otahuna Lodge is a new player on the exclusive lodge market and golf widows need not baulk. Unlike other five-star private lodges around the country, Otahuna does not primarily attract golfing tourists and their bored brides.

Unlike many luxury lodges that have been purpose-built in idyllic locations, Otahuna has a significant point of difference: pedigree and a history richly woven into the Canterbury framework.

Lyttelton-born pioneer Sir Heaton Rhodes built the Queen Anne-style mansion in 1895 after he married Jessie Clark, a socialite heiress from Melbourne. At the time it was the largest private residence in the country; later it became a Catholic monastery and much more interestingly, a hippie commune.

Now it is owned by a young couple from New York, Hall Cannon and his partner Miles Refo, who have transformed it into Canterbury's most luxurious accommodation.

Sir Rhodes and Lady Clark lived on the estate until their deaths, Heaton in 1956 at the grand old age of 95. Otahuna is his lasting legacy. During his lifetime, Rhodes accumulated a vast fortune and forged a decorated career serving as a soldier in the Second Boer War, as a cattle farmer, lawyer and parliamentarian, holding the post of Minister for Health and Defence.

The grounds of Otahuna were used for occasional polo matches and guests included royalty (the Duke and Duchess of York - later King George VI and the Queen Mother - visited in 1927) and members of the South Island's dynastic families.

Not much has changed, save for the royalty, dynasties and the polo. Today the divots have been replaced with a manicured lawn and weeping willows line a large man-made pond. The house has recently been renovated with a hotel's mod cons, but the quiet, distinguished air of days gone by is inherent to the estate.

Otahuna, including its richly furnished dining room with its beautiful pressed and gilded wallpaper, is protected by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust under a Category 1 listing.

Each afternoon I took to reclining on the wicker lounger on the private balcony of my Verandah Suite to lap up the sun's rays. It had a romantic Southern belle charm to it. The sun streamed in and the minutes ticked down to gin-and-tonic hour. Not that I was counting.

Cocktails were served in the drawing room before dinner, followed by five-course degustation banquets each evening, created by executive chef Jimmy McIntyre, using mostly fresh produce from the garden.

The lodge is a foodie's paradise - a quiet foodie's paradise. You won't find Gordon Ramsay littering the air with profanities. McIntyre's dishes come primarily from local produce: speck-wrapped oxtail braise, pan-roasted duck breast (not from the driveway mallards, apparently) and wild nettle broth with home-made ricotta ravioli were just some of the delicacies he served with matching New Zealand wines.

Otahuna Lodge is perfect for quiet contemplation and getting back to nature. Its wonderful serenity amidst sophisticated surroundings and old-fashioned charm ensure escaping from the rat race is easy. But after two days of solitude and some seriously good dining, I was ready to face the chaos again.

Rachel Glucina flew to Christchurch courtesy of Jet Star.

Discover more

Tourism

Dream getaway lodge open for business

17 Nov 03:00 PM
Travel

Otago: Snail's pace adds silver linings to trail

01 Dec 03:00 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Travel

Travel newsUpdated

Singapore Airlines adds seats, boosts freight capacity to Christchurch

22 May 07:36 AM
Travel

The world’s best hotels for book lovers

22 May 07:00 AM
Travel

Why Hyde London City is perfect for a central city break

21 May 06:00 AM

40 truly remarkable years

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Travel

Singapore Airlines adds seats, boosts freight capacity to Christchurch

Singapore Airlines adds seats, boosts freight capacity to Christchurch

22 May 07:36 AM

Weekly flights between Christchurch and Singapore will increase to 11.

 The world’s best hotels for book lovers

The world’s best hotels for book lovers

22 May 07:00 AM
Why Hyde London City is perfect for a central city break

Why Hyde London City is perfect for a central city break

21 May 06:00 AM
'Deeply concerning': NZ's cruise industry sounds alarm as ship visits drop 40%

'Deeply concerning': NZ's cruise industry sounds alarm as ship visits drop 40%

21 May 04:00 AM
One pass, ten snowy adventures
sponsored

One pass, ten snowy adventures

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP