The 'calmcation' (calm vacation) is trending and NZ excels at them. Photo / Getty Images
Welcome to the year’s biggest travel trend: Calmcations. Affordable breaks - a little longer than normal - that are close to home and nature, but with comfort at the centre. Jacqui Gibson travels to the South Island to see if the experience is as good as the trendsetters suggest.
It’s mid-afternoon when I bump into the happy couple staying at the historic cottage at Lake Heron Station.
The women — South Africans now living in Auckland — have been holed up on this 19,600ha merino sheep farm, two hours’ drive inland from Christchurch, for 10 days.
“We didn’t know if we’d handle the isolation,” one of them explains, enveloped in late summer’s buttery sunlight.
Behind her, khaki hills flex towards a cloudless sapphire sky.
I watch the black shadow of a kāhu (swamp harrier), soaring high above us, pass slowly over the land.
Nearby, tawny tussock grasses nod in the breeze.
“But it’s been wonderful; maybe even life-changing? We’ve barely left the property; we haven’t needed to. We’ve seen a sheep muster, eaten Anne’s delicious home-cooked lamb ribs and walked the hills. We had the fire going one day; and dipped our toes in the river to escape the heat the next. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so relaxed,” she explains, grinning.
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There are four of us holidaying at Lake Heron Station, a working station and farmstay run by Anne and Philip Todhunter.
My husband and I arrived a day ago for five nights at Fisherman’s Hut. The chilled couple in front of me will leave first thing tomorrow, completing one of the longest ever stays by guests of the property, according to our hosts.
Coincidentally, we’ve all travelled south (from Wellington, for us) to relax in nature — mirroring a travel fad that’s on the rise.
According to the Eight Good Tourism Trends 2024 list, so-called “calmcations” have emerged as one of the key travel fashions of the year.
In a world that’s economically and politically unstable — so the list’s author the Good Tourism Institute points out — 70 per cent of travellers are looking for ways to truly unwind and de-stress.
Enter calmcations: affordable, close to home, at one with nature but with comfort at the forefront.
Fisherman’s Hut has all the creature comforts.
Designed for two, the modern cottage has views beyond the flats and terraces of Lake Heron’s southern end to Stace’s Hill and the Wild Man’s Brother Range beyond.
The bathroom, kitchen, laundry are all high spec, yet simple. The bedroom has a comfortable king-sized bed, plush linen, ample storage and outdoor views.
Each morning, I throw open the large glass doors leading out to the balcony to check the weather, feel the sun on my face and suck in the high country air.
In the afternoon, I sit outside on the front deck to watch pīwakawaka (fantail) flit through the willow trees and dragonflies skim across a nearby brook.
There’s Wi-Fi if we want it, plenty of walks handy, a well-stocked woodpile and fireplace, as well as coffee table books on topics like New Zealand homesteads.
We could also spend an hour in the sky with Philip, an experienced backcountry pilot, who takes guests for scenic rides in his Cessna 185.
On arrival, we eagerly dragged out the dingy for a spin around Lake Heron.
By our final afternoon, we slowly drag ourselves up Mount Sunday, the film location of Edoras in The Lord of the Rings – The Two Towers in Hakatere Conservation Park, before sighting other walkers and making a hasty return to our private retreat.
When we arrive in the Waitaki Valley for our next five-night farm stay, my husband and I feel confident we’ve mastered the calmcation.
The beauty and quiet of our surroundings helped us find our groove. But this time round we’ve ratcheted up the remoteness factor.
To reach Sparrowhawk, Bellamore farm’s off-grid cabin, guests must either hike for an hour or have farmers Emma and Ben Nowell transport you there by 4WD.
We’re staying longer than most (two-to-three night stays are typical) so we catch a ride with Emma, who’s added homemade shortbread and a bottle of Peregrine pinot gris to our welcome pack.
Midway through our stay, at Emma’s suggestion, we hitch a lift back to our car so we can visit Kurow, restock and get an espresso and Wi-Fi fix.
For the most part we spend our time watching the resident kārearea (sparrowhawks) come and go, reading and taking dips in a freshwater swimming hole moulded out of river stones.
Each night, we soak in the outdoor hot tub under a canopy of twinkly stars.
One afternoon, walking along an unused water race without a soul nearby and the rugged North Otago hills as far as the eye can see, I realise calmcations are on the rise for very good reason.
Fisherman’s Hut at Lake Heron Station is a two-hour drive inland from Christchurch in South Canterbury. lakeheron.co.nz
Sparrowhawk on Bellamore farm is an hour’s drive inland from Ōamaru in North Otago. canopycamping.co.nz/sparrowhawk