The perfect island escapeHOT DEALS · HOT DEALS CROWNING GLORY Sail on the three “Queens” of...

18 KATHERINE TIMES, WEDNESDAY APRIL 23 2014 www.katherinetimes.com.au

HOT DEALSCROWNING GLORYSail on the three “Queens” ofCunard to celebrate the line's175th anniversary through apackage offer put together byecruising.travel. This itineraryincorporates three cruises, oneeach aboard the Queen Victoria,Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary2. Flying from Australia on May 1,2015, spend the first two nightsat the Savoy in London beforeembarking on a seven-nightround- trip voyage fromSouthampton with port visits toFrance and Ireland. After a nightashore at the Grand HarbourHotel in Southampton, board theQueen Elizabeth for a 16-nightcruise that visits Sweden,Estonia, Russia, Germany andScotland and celebrates Cunard'sanniversary with a meeting of allthree ships in Liverpool on May25. The third cruise is a trans-Atlantic to New York aboard theQueen Mary 2. Then spend threenights in New York at theRenaissance Hotel 57. Thispackage includes return economyairfares from Australian capitals,six nights' hotel accommodation,30 nights' cruise accommodationwith all meals, a New Yorkhelicopter sightseeing tour andtransfers in the UK. The price isfrom $10,999 a person twinshare. Ecruising travel is alsooffering onboard credits forbookings made before April 30with the deposit paid. ❑ www.ecruising.travel

JOIN THE CLUBBook seven nights and pay foronly five at Club Med Bali. Thebeachfront resort in Nusa Duaoffers daily activities and sports,nightly entertainment, a wellnesscentre and spa, pool and beachaccess. The package is $1317 anadult twin share in a superiorroom and includes three mainmeals and snacks daily, as well askids' club access. The offer isvalid for sale until April 30 fortravel until October 31. ❑ www.clubmed.com.au

GAME ONG Adventures is offering a last-minute 30 per cent off a 10-daysafari in Botswana that departsfrom Livingstone on May 15. Thetour involves animal-watching inopen jeeps and boats andaccommodation in tented camps,as well as house boat and homestays. Included in the package arearrival transfers, some meals, allnational park and game reserveentrances, a Chobe Riverhomestay, open vehicle gamedrives in Savuti, Chobe NationalPark, Khwai River and Moremiarea, and a Okavango Delta two-night houseboat excursion. Thelast-minute price is $3009 on theMay 15 departure (it wasoriginally $4299). ❑ www.gadventures.com

The perfect island escapeGuy Wilkinson trades a weekend inthe city for the peace and quiet ofan island getaway.

IT doesn’t take long to clock JonathanScott as a perfectionist. Not in thatuptight, snapping of fingers kind of way,

more in his quietly considered tone andobvious attention to detail.

Dressed in pink chinos, boat shoes and apressed blue shirt, Scott is giving me a tourof his back garden. It’s not just any backgarden, though.

Beneath drooping power lines whereplant pots double as lampshades, wenavigate a winding gravel bath flanked byexplosive red canna flowers and snakingvines.

Inside a weathered wooden shed, rows oflovingly tended herbs grow in neat rows ontrestle tables. They are just a small section ofwhat has become a carefully cultivated vegiepatch that feeds dozens of people everyweek.

A little over 10 years ago, this land waslittle more than overgrown weed and scrub.Then Scott had a dream.

That dream has led to one of the moststylish boutique properties in New Zealand.

Built on land his family has owned for 35years, The Boatshed is a luxurious five-suitehotel (with two external bungalows) bornout of Scott’s background in hospitality andhis father’s shared love of architecture andinterior design.

But The Boatshed is hardly the onlychange to have taken place here on WaihekeIsland. Located 18 kilometres east ofAuckland, this was once a hippie sanctuaryand mecca for alternative types before theintroduction of regular ferry services in 1986changed everything.

The result is a weird mix and those whostill clearly cling to the hippie ideal now rubshoulders with filthy-rich investmenttycoons.

Just head to the local beachfront pubCharlie Farley’s and you’ll see bare-footedactivists knocking back pints next tocorporate warriors, yellow golf jerseysknotted around their shoulders.

Besides its practical purpose as residentChef Tibor Matus’ (aka Tibi) personalingredient source, The Boatshed’s garden isalso just a stunning place to kick back andrelax.

Having escaped Sydney for a longweekend, my wife and I soak up the last raysof sun sitting in sun chairs outside a retrocaravan before venturing inside for dinner.

Immediately, we’re struck by the inherentsense of style throughout.

Natural light floods in from a high ceilingabove crisp, white weatherboard walls.

Upholstered armchairs and invitingplump sofas are dotted around tablesstacked with hardback coffee table booksand flickering candles.

There are coils of rope and fresh cutflowers; there’s a faintly nautical theme butyou never feel hit over the head with it.

Located on a bluff overlooking OneroaBeach - just one of dozens of beaches onWaiheke - the outdoor deck is the perfectspot to watch the sunset with a cocktail.

As darkness sets in, we spend a gloriouscouple of hours just leafing through Scott’spersonal collection of photography, art anddesign books while sampling a few of theisland’s best varietals (the climate here lendsitself to outstanding syrah).

Around us, a handful of other guestsenjoy intimate conversations overcandlelight, ponder their next move over achessboard or, like us, simply recline with abook and a glass of wine.

Though it is undeniably sophisticated,I’m struck by the lack of pretention.

“To see guests arrive, walk in the doorand their shoulders drop is a great feeling,”says Scott. “ Sometimes people just need abreak from the day to day; couples wantquality, private time just sitting and enjoyinga quiet meal together where they don’t needto make a decision, they don’t have to dress

up and there’s no need for airs and graces.”When our food arrives in the form of

perfectly grilled lamb cutlets and crunchyseasonal veg - straight from the garden - mymind briefly entertains the countlessactivities tomorrow may hold.

There are more than 30 boutique winerieswe could explore, mountain bike rides,kayaking adventures, eccentric museumsand tiny beachside art galleries.

We could charter a fishing boat andcruise the Hauraki Gulf, take a day trip to aglow-worm cave or simply take a walk on ablustery headland.

But just a minute away, a private beachcottage with crisp white bed linen, an oceanview and sunken bathtub awaits. Somethingtells me we won’t stray too far.

❑ The writer was a guest of The Boatshed Waiheke

FIVE THINGS TO DO ON WAIHEKE❑ Art-house cinema

Check out the 50-seatlounge Waiheke IslandCommunity Cinema.Mismatched chairs andsofas, art house films anda glass of local wineenhance your viewingpleasure.

❑ Paddle the gulf

Paddle into a lagoon orcheck out the outer islandsfrom a kayak. Alternatively,

have a go at stand-uppaddle boarding on aguided tour throughsecluded, rocky inletssurrounding the bay. ❑ Take a wine tourThere are more than 30boutique wineries on theisland. Hire a car or avoidthe risk of drink driving bytaking a guided wine tour. ❑ Sail a catamaranExplore the pristine islands

of the Hauraki Gulf bychartering a catamaran fora day or overnight cruise.White sand beaches,marine and birdlife are justpart of the experience.

❑ Go wild on Waiheke

You can choose fromarchery, laser claybirdshooting and more on avineyard setting. There'salso an onsite brewery andcafe.

Stylish simplicity ... (clockwisefrom main) The Boatshed has afaintly nautical theme; restfulinteriors; Jonathan Scott in hisgarden shed.

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