“Downton Abbey of New Zealand”

That is Otahuna Lodge to a tee. There is no other lodge (that I have seen or know about) quite like it in the country. It is a quick trip from Christchurch – just 25 minutes or about 11 miles to CHC. This is a property I will revisit next year when I go back to NZ as we had a very quick 45 minute stop. There is so much more depth to this property than one can grasp in a visit that short. The owners, Hall and Miles, are involved in the day to day operations and very present. The Lodge was built in the 19th century and has just 7 rooms – 5 suites and 2 master suites.

From the air – the gardens, which will be described later, are “above” the lodge in the picture and a much closer picture:

The interior is beautiful and what would be expected of preserved Queen Anne architecture.

The wallpaper in this room is original to the property and quite rare. I don’t remember the process behind it, but apparently there is only one person in the world who knows how to make it the way it ways made in the late 1800’s. Here is a closer look, which doesn’t come close to doing it justice:

This is the front room, where guests are welcomed.

The kitchen. I hear magic happens here, but I didn’t get to experience it. I alluded to the garden earlier. Otahuna has an amazing garden and really take the estate to plate concept full on. Organic produce is grown for the property, where food and wine are an integral part of the experience when staying at the property. They even have a mushroom house! Garden tours are available and I highly recommend it. I enjoyed seeing the depth to which the property has gone to be sustainable.

If memory serves correctly, cooking demonstrations/lessons are available.

Now for the rooms. All rooms offer a king bed, deep bath tubs, stand alone showers, Penhaligon’s amenities, and (my favorite) wood burning fireplaces. First up, one of the two master suites, the Rhodes Suite.

In the above picture, you can see a doorway to the left of the fireplace. This next picture is the sitting room through that doorway. Also, the veranda,

Partial view of the bathroom. Notice through the window the hot tub for the property.

The Veranda Suite is has a smaller room than the Rhodes, but the veranda is significantly larger.

The property was just named as the number 1 pick for International Hideways’s by Andrew Harper.

I really look forward to staying at this property in the future and seeing it in greater detail.

Otahuna Lodge is a Virtuoso property and through our partnership, I am proud to offer the following amenities: Upgrade on reservation, based on availability; daily full breakfast, for up to two in room guests; a complimentary lunch or picnic basket, including a bottle of New Zealand wine; and early check in/late check out, based on availability.