Leaving the Auckland city limits in my rental car - after turning out of the lot into oncoming traffic on the right side of the road - I head toward the North Island's East coast and my assignment for a travel story in the Hawkes' Bay wine region. If most of New Zealand is lush green and rural, Auckland is quite the opposite. With just over a million people, the city manages to sprawl in every direction - like a small Los Angeles. The city center and its iconic Sky Tower are unremarkable and the area is strangely unwalkable due to a bizarre traffic light system which leaves people standing on curbs much longer than in any city I can remember. I stayed for three nights on the waterfront in the modernist/minimalist Auckland Hilton - one of the first Hiltons internationally to be designed in such style. Both the hotel and surrounding waterfront development are a cut above the downtown core - full of good restaurants - my favourite is called Euro and pubs and clubs which are a focal point of Auckland night life - along with areas Ponsonby and upscale Parnell, both a ten minute taxi from the centre. From my hotel room I could see the ferries heading for nearby Waiheke Island - 45 minutes away. A wonderful day trip or weekend away from Auckland with top notch vineyards and small Inns. I will write about both Auckland and Waiheke Island in detail in the near future. Soon after leaving Auckland the expressway turns to single lane winding highway - clogged with traffic on the day I drove it - and the trip to the Hawkes Bay region takes twice as long as would appear. In spite of New Zealand's reputation as a progressive, green, nuclear free zone - it has yet to catch up with most of the industrialized world on car emissions policies - so getting stuck behind an old truck or delivery van can mean coughing on thick black smoke - sometimes for many miles. Twice I had to slow down to let trucks get far enough ahead. This, in addition to the constant bing-binging of a bell in my car whenever I exceeded 100km/h had me irritated in no time. I'm told I could have turned the warning bell off, but I couldn't find out how at the time. In any case it was irrelevant - traffic on this and many of the main highways in the country seem to hover around 85-95 km/h. But the ideal way to make the transition from the traffic and exhaust of Auckland and urban sprawl en route to the picturesque coastal Hawkes Bay wine region is a stop at the ultra luxury Treetops Lodge which is equidistant from both - approximately 4 hours from Auckland. Nestled among 25,000 acres of its own land are a series of six private villas and a main lodge. The economics of acres to villas don't even begin to make sense until I learn the prices. Accommodations run to around NZ$2,000/night (US$1,250) for a villa based on double occupancy. Apparently many visitors in this price bracket skip my charming, choking, trying ordeal - arriving instead, at the lodge's recommendation, by helicopter. Driving in from the highway on the property itself can take about fifteen minutes - but here the drive is very pleasant. I stopped several times to say hello to the cows, pheasants and of course the famous Kiwi sheep. On arrival in the late afternoon I went for an hour hike through dense, challenging rain forest trails before taking a seat at the chef's table for a fantastic dinner - with much of the produce and game originating on the property. I tried not to think of the friends I made on the drive in. Chef Lance Mickell incorporates Venison and duck from the property - warning me of buckshot that another diner found - and goose fillet pan-seared with fig vinacotta. The rest of the dinner mixed local and international ingredients - an eclecticism for which Kiwi chefs tend to be well known. Including New Zealand Scampi in corn fritter with roasted capsicum red peppers after beetroot couscous, bok choi and Venison and wild mushroom consommé - followed by sticky toffee pudding. Both Mickell and Hendrik Wassanaar, the Dutch-Austrian General Manager, are such well travelled and engaging company that from my table in the kitchen it is at times difficult to remember I'm in a secluded resort on the edge of the world. If I were seated in the main dining room I would have the splendid views to remind me I'm in New Zealand. Breakfast was almost as adventurous starting with a Spirulina Smoothie, a selection of home baked breads, Muesli with stewed quince and medjool dates and kiwis. All energy was required for my trek to the highest peak on the property - 30 minutes of a very steep grade - to see the magnificent view over much of Treetops' property, before departing for a three hour drive to the vineyards. My camera battery died halfway up the climb so I'm afraid I don't have pictures - you'll have to go look for yourself. related articles: blakes amsterdam - the city's most elegant address auckland hilton - one of hilton's top properties ku'damm 101 - berlin's top design hotel hotel grand marina barcelona - five stars on the waterfront palafitte hotel - hi-tech luxury on lake neuchatel, switzerland
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