Nature & Lodge News

 

 

2009/10 Season Update and News

FROM LAKE MOERAKI AND ARTHUR’S PASS, NEW ZEALAND

Our ecotourism businesses are dedicated to providing quality hospitality, nature discovery
and working to protect New Zealand’s heritage. 

 

AUGUST 2009 ROUGH GUIDES LAUNCH "CLEAN BREAKS-500 NEW WAYS TO SEE THE WORLD". 

Authors Richard Hammond, Green Travel editor of The Guardian and Jeremy Smith former editor of The Ecologist have launched this Rough Guides new travel guide. Our two New Zealand Wilderness Lodges are the only NZ accommodation places featured. The book combines cultural and environmental sensitivity with practical advice. They hand pick what they consider to be the best hotels, resorts and tours from around the world.

HIGH QUALITY IMAGE GALLERY

In August 2009 we launched our new Wilderness Lodge Image Gallery. With the kind assistance of West Coast conservation campaigner, craftsman and photographer Carey Dillon we now have a magnificent series of new images. You can use these to promote the Wilderness Lodges, to plan what you would like to see when you stay with us or to show your friends when you return. see www.wildernesslodge.co.nz. The images are available in low, medium and high resolution.

RAINFOREST ROOMS (24) AND LUXURY RIVERVIEW ROOMS (4) AT LAKE MOERAKI PROVING A GREAT SUCCESS.

The carefully preserved historic Red Dog Saloon that dates from the 1962 Lake Moeraki-Haast Highway construction camp is all that remains of Lake Moeraki’s distant past. We have now completed the 3-year re-development of Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki. Guests love the new rooms. Our 4 Riverview Rooms are particularly popular.  Spa baths, views down the Moeraki Rapids from inside your room and from your verandah are very inviting for those guests wanting a stylish Wilderness Lodge experience. New Rainforest Rooms are equally spacious with great tree fern, forest canopy and some with river views. 

ALPINE LODGES AT ARTHURS PASS OFFER A SECLUDED BEECH FOREST “TREEHOUSE” WITH SUPERB ALPINE VIEWS.

The luxurious Alpine Lodges have now completed their fourth full year of operation. They are stunning. You are amongst the forest canopy with native rifleman and bellbird singing outside your window and balcony. The Lodges won the 2005 Master Builders Association NZ Commercial Building Supreme Award. Their spa baths, spacious lounge area and magnificent mountain views are a huge hit. Their Low E glass double glazed windows have been irresistable to tiny riflemen,NZ's smallest bird. These attack their reflections in the windows!

Our less expensive 20 Mountain View Rooms also have exceptional views with panorams across ther whole Upper Waimakariri valley and 30 miles/50km of Southern Alps.

JUNE TO DECEMBER 8 (approx!): TAWAKI-FIORDLAND CRESTED PENGUIN BREEDING AND VIEWING SEASON AT WILDERNESS LODGE LAKE MOERAKI.

LAKE MOERAKI WILDERNESS WEEK POPULAR FOR SOUTH ISLAND KIWIS. ANOTHER WILDERNESS WEEK IS PLANNED FOR LAKE MOERAKI OCTOBER 2009

A “Who’s Who” of South Island notable people recently joined us for a magical 6 days nature discovery at Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki. These weeks are designed to introduce New Zealanders to wild and natural South Westland. Based from Lake Moeraki, we enjoyed fantastic food and accommodation, canoed on Lake Moeraki and the Lower Moeraki River, ventured south to Jackson Bay and road’s end on the Cascade Plateau, we walked the historic track to Blue Hut, visited the Glaciers, Ship Creek and Monro Beach. At the end of the week, we prepared a fascinating bird and fern list for the Moeraki Valley. 

PRINCE CASPIAN, SECOND MOVIE IN “THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA”, FILMED AT LAKE MOERAKI MARCH 2007.

"Prince Caspian" - the sequel to the Disney movie “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” (this first movie was filmed near the Arthur’s Pass Lodge in 2004) has been in movie theatres and is now available on DVD. Lake Moeraki hosted the film crew and the children (the main actors) when they were shooting the main scene at Lake Moeraki on the pristine Moeraki River seacoast.

FODOR’S 2009 NEW ZEALAND GUIDEBOOK AWARDS BOTH LAKE MOERAKI AND WILDERNESS LODGES PRESTIGIOUS “FODOR’S CHOICE’ TOP RANKING.

“As travellers we’ve discovered a place so wonderful that its worthiness is obvious. And sometimes that place is so experiential that superlatives don’t do it justice; you have to be there to know. These sights, properties and experiences get our highest rating, Fodor’s Choice, indicated by orange stars throughout the book” (page 7).  Only 10 accommodation properties in the South Island including both Wilderness Lodges were given Fodor’s Choice ranking in their 2009 guidebook. The other 8 are Lake Rotoroa Lodge (Nelson), Charlotte Jane and Claremont Country Estate (Canterbury), Bay of Many Coves Resort and Old St Mary’s Convent (Marlborough), Lake Brunner Lodge (West Coast), Corstophine House (Dunedin) and Eichardt’s Private Hotel (Queenstown).  

OUR WILDERNESS LODGES GUIDED ADVENTURE PROGRAMME AT ARTHUR’S PASS DISCOVERS KEA PARROTS, MOUNTAINS, ALPINE FLOWERS AND LAKES IN THE HEART OF THE SOUTHERN

ALPS. AT LAKE MOERAKI WE DISCOVER TAWAKI PENGUINS, ANCIENT RAINFOREST, FUR AND ELEPHANT SEALS OF SOUTH WESTLAND’S WORLD HERITAGE COASTLINE.

The lodges are set in totally contrasting natural areas. Our guests always point out to us that as the lodges are so different we should encourage a two to three night stay at each lodge to make the most of their stunning settings. We are unique in having skilled nature guides on our staff teams at both Lodges and a network of walking tracks and canoe routes that radiate out from both the Lodges.  Because of this, we are the place to visit to combine gentle adventures, comfort, great food and wine with friendly Kiwi hosts and guides. The Lodges are set in thousands of hectares of wild natural land that we own and also protect. There is a magnificent walk network for guests to explore. Our nature guides take you to explore these areas on foot and by kayak on a daily changing programme of nature adventures. We also invite visitor volunteers to help in practical conservation work such as weed tree removal and wildlife surveys.

EVERY 2 DAYS AT WILDERNESS LODGE ARTHUR’S PASS,WE OFFER NEW ZEALAND’S ONLY OPPORTUNITY FOR VISITORS TO HELP BLADE SHEAR A FINE WOOL MERINO SHEEP. THIS WOOL IS FOR ICEBREAKER CLOTHING SOLD IN THE WILDERNESS LODGE SHOP.

On our 2,400 hectare (6,000acre) farm we have 4,000 merino sheep. Every 2 days guests join Farm Manager Neil Woods to muster sheep with Border Collie dogs, cuddle new lambs and to shear a sheep with old fashioned blades. This merino wool is amongst the finest and most highly prized in the world. We are one of a small number of high country farms that supply “Icebreaker”, NZ’s fashion leisure clothing company. Their fashion clothing is taking the world by storm. Icebreaker’s stunning clothing range is on sale in the Wilderness Lodge shop. It includes heavier merino pullovers, light camisols, scarves, hats, gloves, socks and jackets.

......AND ENJOY SUPERB HIGH COUNTRY LAMB FROM OUR RESTAURANT We also raise around 100 special high country lambs each year for the Wilderness Lodge Arthur's Pass restaurant. Lamb has become a delicacy on restaurant menus worldwide as the price has soared in response to dwindling supplies of lamb. This has been great for the Wilderness Lodge farm, Cora Lynn station, where in 2009 we received nearly NZ$100 each for the 1,500 meat lambs we sold this year compared to about half that price last year. It also makes it very special for guests who visit the Lodge. They can enjoy our best lamb cuts cooked to perfection by our chefs. Our favourite dish is slow roasted lamb shoulder or leg, seasoned with garlic, rosemary and mint and served with a Central Otago or Canterbury Pinot Noir.

QUALMARK ENVIRO-GOLD GRADING FOR LAKE MOERAKI AND A RAFT OF GUIDING CONSENTS AND PASSENGER SERVICE LICENCES ARE THE HALLMARK OF A FULLY PROFESSIONAL ECO-TOURISM OPERATION.

The Lodges’ high quality operations and environmental committment have now been formally been recognised by Qualmark, NZ's hospitality accreditation agency. An Enviro-Gold grading was made to Lake Moeraki early in 2009 and Arthur's Pass is currently under assessment.  Both Lodges also hold Passenger Service Licence No 222871 for guest transport. We hold DOC Guiding Concessions (Canterbury 15048 GUI and West Coast 14903 GUI) and a Marine Mammal Watching Permit (Number11/25/00).  Our eco-tourism operates under our Wilderness Lodges Conservation and Environment Policy.

Please contact us if you have any questions and we'd love you to come and visit us soon at both of New Zealand’s Wilderness Lodges

Anne Saunders and Dr Gerry McSweeney

Managing Directors

Wilderness Lodges NZ Ltd

PO Box 33 Arthur's Pass 8091 NZ

www.wildernesslodge.co.nz

 

 

 

 

Every year these large (70cm high) penguins come in from the Tasman Sea to breed on our wild seacoast. They have spent the previous 4 months feeding and sleeping on the sea.

The world population of this very distinctive penguin species is perhaps 4,000 birds making it the world’s second rarest next to the Galapagos penguin. There are 17 species of penguin world wide, all found near or south of the equator. 

Tawaki breed only in the south west corner of New Zealand and they breed in dense coastal rainforest amongst the roots or under rocks.  Lake Moeraki is one of the only (and probably the easiest) places in the world people can easily see these delightful birds. From early July until the first week of December they march to and from across the beaches near Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki.

Since we opened in 1989, we have worked closely with the Conservation Department to help protect tawaki penguins along the Moeraki coastline. We successfully championed the establishment of a Wildlife refuge to protect the penguins from dog attacks and this was established in 1994.