Wanaka: Showering with alpacas

Te Ariki Nui sits quietly on the Central Otago landscape with its alpaca neighbours in the foreground. Photo / Simon Darby Photography

Justine Tyerman finds a place near Wanaka where the landscape talks

Dark eyes gazed at me standing naked in the shower. There were no blinds on the floor-to-ceiling bathroom windows but the exposure did not bother me. The absence of window coverings added to my sense of being at one with nature in this sublime, rural setting on the outskirts of Wanaka.

Barely daring to move, I returned the fixed gaze of my admirers, fascinated by their quizzical faces. They looked like caricatures, a whimsical cross between a camel and a giraffe with a woolly coat like a sheep, and a permanent smile. My audience was easily startled so as soon as I made a drippy-handed grab for my iPhone, they scarpered over the ridge.

Te Ariki Nui at night with the axeman sculpture illuminated on the left. Photo / Simon Darby Photography

We got to know our alpaca neighbours quite well during our week at Te Ariki Nui, an idyllic country retreat on a four-hectare lifestyle property 10 minutes' drive from Wanaka. They provided a welcome distraction from the hectic schedule and weather shenanigans in the lead-up to a family wedding in Wanaka which was miraculously blessed with a pristine, clear day after a weather bomb struck the country.

A substantial dusting of snow on the magnificent peaks and ranges surrounding the house - deposited by the chilly tail end of the cyclone - had our overseas wedding guests puzzled as to what hemisphere and season they had landed in. Some were already quite disorientated having experienced a series of aborted landings at Queenstown Airport and subsequent diversions to other parts of New Zealand they had never heard of . . . like Invercargill.

Nicola Plumridge, the property manager for home-owner New Zealand fashion icon Robyn Hall, left us with a supply of pellets which were a magnet to the alpacas. Descriptions of their soft velvet muzzles and contented humming noises as they nibbled the food from our outstretched hands even made their way into the wedding speeches. They were the most endearing and comical of creatures and I'm surprised one of the cria or babies did not end up in our daughter's suitcase, she was so besotted with them.

The cheekiest of the alpacas - my favourite. Photo / Justine Tyerman

Te Ariki Nui, designed by award-winning architect Paul Clarke and runner-up in the 2005 New Zealand Home & Entertaining Home of the Year Award, was a haven of peace and tranquillity, the perfect home base for a pre-wedding week.

The concrete, glass and timber structure sits gently and quietly on the landscape. From a distance, it looks like a slim sliver emerging from the earth . . . or an elongated river boat sailing on waves of golden tussock.

Double-glazing, underfloor heating and a raised gas fireplace in the lounge make Te Ariki Nui super-cosy in the winter. Photo / Simon Darby Photography

With four bedrooms and three bathrooms including a detached, self-contained studio, a spacious open-plan kitchen, dining and living area, and 4 hectares of orchards and farmland, there was ample room for eight of us.

Once the cyclone had passed, we pushed back the floor-to-ceiling glass walls on both sides of the living area and gained even more space. The outside Jacuzzi was also a popular place to congregate, regardless of the weather.

I'm sure the house would be super-cosy in winter thanks to double-glazing, underfloor heating, a gas fireplace in the lounge, and luxurious sheepskin rugs and rabbit fur blankets to snuggle under.

A steel and corrugated iron axeman by Kiwi sculptor Hannah Kidd takes a swing at a tree in the orchard. Photo / Simon Darby Photography

A feature of the well-stocked kitchen was a white Corian island bench with a raised glass rectangle that was lit from within. It looked ultra-glamorous at night with a line-up of champagne or cocktail glasses and provided a creative, clever way to separate the kitchen and dining areas.

An Agape tear-shaped bath by the floor-to-ceiling glass doors in the master bedroom was not only a dreamy place to bathe. It also came in extremely handy when I had to soak and hand wash a bridesmaid's dress that arrived with marks on it the day before the wedding. Despite hundreds of weddings in Wanaka every month, there is no local dry-cleaner so I was entrusted with the nerve-racking task of laundering and ironing the delicate, pastel-coloured dress. I'm happy to say, Napisan saved the day.

The Agape tear-shaped bath by the floor-to-ceiling windows in the master bedroom. Photo / Simon Darby Photography

A large dressing room with a full-length wardrobe in the master bedroom
easily accommodated all the formal wedding paraphernalia.

The architect designed a long gabion wall built with stones smoothed by the Cardrona River as a visual shield between the glass-walled house and the entrance pathway. Rectangular steel inserts in the wall allowed light to filter into the master bedroom and hallway without sacrificing privacy.

A serious collector of art and sculpture, Hall has a keen eye for placing her acquisitions in the most eye-catching and arresting locations. At the gateway to the property, a rock with Te Ariki Nui's emblem, the Friedensreich Hundertwasser Koru carved by Dean Westall from Wanaka, is the first indication of the œuvres d'art that lie within. Commissioned by Hall's late husband Bill as a house-warming gift, it's one of the owner's favourite pieces. Te Ariki Nui means "above all others".

A driftwood circle by New Zealand environmental artist Martin Hill stands against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains. Photo / Simon Darby Photography

The alpacas share their paddock with a driftwood circle by talented New Zealand environmental artist Martin Hill and a huge red elephant entitled Hybrid by Gaye Roberts, purchased in 2005 at the Bondi Sculpture by the Sea exhibition. Hall commissioned sculptor Jeff Thomson to recreate a corrugated iron image of her much-loved poodle Rastas who sits by the front door.

But the most startling piece is a steel and corrugated iron axeman in the orchard by sculptor Hannah Kidd - he frequently caught me off-guard especially at night when he is floodlit.

With more sculptures on their way, Hall is constantly adding to her impressive collection.

We found Te Ariki Nui delightfully peaceful and secluded. The 10-minute drive from Wanaka turned out to be an asset, deterring well-meaning guests from 'just popping in', allowing the wedding party, who had travelled from afar, to regroup and prepare in peace.

A corrugated iron sculpture of the owner's poodle Rastus, by Jeff Thomson, sits beside the front door. Photo / Patrick Reynolds Photography

With its polished concrete floors, beech cabinetry, glass walls and predominantly white palette, the place has an understated elegance, charm and self-assurance. It's quietly comfortable and confident in its environment but is not pretentious or haughty. It happily defers to the grandeur of its environment.

Hall sums it up perfectly: "Te Ariki Nui is my sanctuary. The alpacas, the orchard, the wide open Otago landscape, my love of architecture and sculpture, come together in silence to make this place my heart's desire. Here, the landscape does the talking . . ."

Checklist: Wanaka

• Te Ariki Nui is a great location for pre- and post-wedding events and a relaxing holiday at any time of the year.

• Pick up a JUCY Rental at Queenstown Airport and drive to Wanaka - 60 minutes over the Crown Range or 90 minutes via the Kawarau Gorge, both magnificent scenic experiences.

• Air New Zealand flies daily to Queenstown from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch with connections available across the domestic network.