Kia ora from paradise

Stanley - Thursday

I was going to write a travelog this week about my last three weeks, all spent in New Zealand.  However, this morning the plans changed.  As we left our AirBnB in Queenstown on the South Island, a previous client popped in to pick up a raincoat he'd left there.  He asked where we were headed and, when I said Glenorchy at the end of Lake Wakatipu, he suggested we stop on the way at a little piece of paradise.

We did.

And were blown away.

The Little Paradise Lodge sits on he 45th parallel, equidistant from the equator and the South Pole, and a long way from anywhere.  (Click on any photo to enlarge it.)

The 25 cms represents the amount of space every South African would have if standing in a row from here to Pretoria; the 95 cms is the amount of space they would have if standing next to each other around the world. 

It is unobtrusively located next to Highway 6 from Queenstown, but the moment you leave the car, you realise that this is something special.

Lonely Planet has this to say:

Rambling and rustic doesn't begin to describe this unique spot perched by Lake Wakatipu. A quirky and slightly eccentric Swiss guy built it all by himself, from the handmade wooden furniture to the uniquely tiled bathrooms. Outside there's a natural swimming pool and various bird life roaming about to keep you company.

Wonderfully eclectic, this slice of arty paradise is the singular vision of the current owner. 

 In reality, words cannot describe the two or so hectares that comprise the gardens - streams and ponds surrounded by 3,000 roses, 40,000 daffodils, thousands of lilies, a variety of weird and wonderful plants, as well as interesting and quirky sculptures, mainly in yoga poses.

So let's dispense with words and use pictures.

The hanging strands are stone covered string 

Reception at the Lodge

The Moa and Haast's eagle are both extinct.

I guess Blogspot just ran out of storage space - I'll post a second blog for the rest of the photos.