Downtime
With Easter coming up, Unlimited combed the country to find a few unique ways for time poor exec-types to unwind.
Thursday, March 25 2010 || Travel || BY Caitlin Sykes
Island time
When it comes to island life, does it get much better than this?
Hurakia Lodge, on Rakino Island in the Hauraki Gulf, may be billed as an ‘island retreat’, but you won’t be roughing it Survivor-style: a host, personal chef, butler and even an appearance medicine doctor can be made available should you require their services.
The spectacular Y-shaped lodge, which opened in January 2009, sits atop a ridge on the eight-hectare estate, offering privacy, seclusion and 360-degree views. Two bedroom wings house a total of five double bedrooms at the lodge, which also has a pool, spa pool, 70-metre private jetty, stunning walking tracks and an extensive activities list.
And it’s all just six minutes (by, ahem, helicopter) from Auckland’s CBD.
“The idea is to be able to give a businessman who has maybe only got a couple of days in New Zealand a wilderness experience,” says Hurakia Lodge owner John MacCulloch, “but it is also close enough that he can still have his business meetings in Auckland or have the people he’s doing business with come out to the lodge. It’s trying to combine the best of both worlds.”
The lodge also is aimed at the Auckland corporate market — an ideal location for a management team retreat, says MacCulloch, or perhaps a board meeting.
At $13,000 a night you may have to lobby your CFO pretty hard if you want exclusive use of the villa, accommodating 10 people, with all the trimmings. Rates for smaller groups, however, start at a more modest $2,500 a night.
