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Autumn Edition 2014

OUR SWEET LORDE

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EDITOR’S CORNER Editor-in-chief Gary J Cody gary@waterfordpress.co.nz +62 (0)22 431 0208 Publisher James Lynch Golf editor Steve Khatib General Manager Rex Lynch Senior Designer Daniel Grey Graphic Designer Sadhna Nath Customer Services Sarah Bell Administration, Helen Bourne, Jill Holland Subscriptions Jill Holland North Island Sales Manager Alex Lynam alex@waterfordpress.co.nz South Island Sales Manager Chris McPhee chris.mcphee@waterfordpress.co.nz NZ, Australian and International Distribution Gordon and Gotch Jetstar In-Flight Digital New Zealand Head Office Waterford Press 112 Wrights Road Addington Christchurch. +64 (0) 3 9835500 Arrowtown Office 25 Merioneth St P.O. Box 42 Arrowtown 9351 +64 (0) 3 983 5507 Melbourne Office 76 The Boulevard, Ivanhoe, Victoria 3079 +61 4 16 326 464 Published by

Kia Ora New Zealand is blessed at present with young women who are excelling internationally in their chosen professions.

Lorde is arguably our most well known international celebrity especially with the younger ‘top of the pops’ set. A humble young woman who walked away with 2 Grammys a few weeks ago. Royal and elegant, she certainly is Our Sweet Lorde !

Lydia Ko, another 17 year old known more for her ‘swing’ than swinging melodies also rates internationally.

Hailing from Auckland, Lorde’s hometown, Lydia’s rise to stardom has been extremely fast. She is number 4 on the international LPGA ladder and has taken out her first pro tournament after only a few weeks as a professional. More on Lydia next edition The NZ Open has just been held in Queenstown. Steve Khatib plays the wonderful Queenstown courses and lets the readers know how to take on the different challenges that courses like The Hills pose.

Our ever-fearless Mitch relates some heart pumping experiences that our intrepid readers can find in New Zealand if they choose to feel the adrenaline pump.

A small entree for the winter edition tells what Cardrona has to offer this coming season. The skifield with the most consistent snow and open days in the region.

Take a trip through our amazing regions with so many different activities and attractions to make your holiday worthwhile. Our travel writers have had time to research, experience and suggest some of the best activities, attractions and accommodation.

We look forward to bringing you a bumper winter edition in June. Meanwhile enjoy the read and our great little country.

Hei konā mai

ISSN 2200-5021 (Print) ISSN 2200-5013 (Digital)

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Gary J Cody Editor-in-chief

CONTENTS

LORDE 8 ADRENALINE 10 ENTREE TO WINTER 18 GOLF 22

REGIONS NORTHLAND

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AUCKLAND

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WAIKATO

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ROTORUA

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COROMANDEL

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TAUPO

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MARLBOROUGH

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BULLER

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WEST COAST

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KAIKOURA

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HURUNUI

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TEKAPO/MT COOK

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DUNEDIN

76

WANAKA

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ARROWTOWN

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QUEENSTOWN

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FIORDLAND

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SOUTHLAND

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OUR SWEET LORDE.

Amidst a world of calculating contest winners, manufactured show ponies and cheap knock offs – Lorde is a true original, writes Gary Cody.

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he is Ella Yelich-O’Connor, born and raised on Auckland’s North Shore, and possessed of a singular ability to capture the majesty, and mundanity, of teenage life – in striking melodic snapshots that belie her age and experience.

Raised on a nutritious musical diet of Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, The Smiths and Nick Drake, alongside a smattering of soul food from the likes of Etta James and Otis Redding, Ella was definitely set off on strong melodic footing. Later she discovered artists like James Blake, Bon Iver, Burial, Animal Collective, SBTRKT and Drake – all of whom made an impact in their own, individual way. As vital and varied as those influences are, they don’t really begin to tell the full story of Lorde’s music, which melds concentrated, sharp-eyed lyrics and multi-layered vocals with crisp, 2013 beatscapes.

The decision to release her first EP, with plenty of mystery but no marketing or publicity, and just a simple, lifelike illustration, was Lorde’s, and it was a masterstroke. Even after 60,000 free downloads on SoundCloud, The Love Club EP still shot to #1 on the New Zealand Album Chart, with Royals simultaneously occupying the top spot in the singles chart – without so much as a video on YouTube. Before any of that success, she was already the focus of a hotly contested bidding war, rapidly being signed up for the UK, US and other major territories, simply on

the strength of her music and blindingly obvious potential alone. Tweeted about by everyone from Grimes to Sky Ferreira to Doomtree, and picked up by Buzzfeed, Perez Hilton et al – these are the beginnings of an impending roar, about an artist who is quite simply, cut from a different cloth.

Like most overnight success stories, the reality is considerably less glamorous, and more lengthy and involved. Working with Universal for three years prior to The Love Club EP, the sparks really started flying when she collaborated with producer and songwriter, Joel Little. In him she found someone who could really help in getting the songs out of her head and into yours, and a willing accomplice when she needs to spend the best part of a day making a hi hat sound more like an insect, or suchlike.

With a mother who is a celebrated poet herself, Ella was given an early grounding in the essentials from the likes of T.S.Eliot, Ezra Pound, Allan Ginsberg, Raymond Carver and Sylvia Plath. That combination of higher thought and word passion, taken with visual influences ranging from The Sopranos and Brick, through to Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides, makes for a heady combination – but it’s what Ella does with it all that is truly unique.

Rejecting the trite banalities that are usually presumed to represent a 17 year olds outlook, the music of Lorde manages to capture the very essence

of the frustration and freedom, the curiosity and confidence, and the plain old wonder of teenage life, in a truly unique way.

Lorde took over the Grammy stage a few weeks ago. Donning uncharacteristically straight hair and a black-and-white pantsuit, the 17-yearold singer started with a stripped-down rendition of her smash song before crescendoing into the radio version.

Lorde was also up for four awards at the show, which was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. “Royals” earned nods for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance, winning Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance. “Pure Heroine,” her debut album, was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album. Lorde was one of a handful of snubs in the Best New Artist category.

The singer saw a successful debut year in 2013, during which “Royals” sat at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for nine consecutive weeks. Lorde also released “Tennis Court” and “Team,” the latter peaking at No. 11.

Other performers at the 56th annual Grammy Awards included Macklemore and Ryan Lewis with Madonna, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. LL Cool J hosted the show.

New Zealand is blessed with young talent and we will feature another 17 year old international sensation in our winter edition watch this space.

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Visit Voyager Auckland’s waterfront Maritime Museum

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o t y d a Re

Shred!

As we pack our snowboards into the rental car its hard not to be distracted by the aircraft as they bank around the mountains of Queenstown, making their descent into the world’s ‘adventure capital’. Soon enough we will be as high as those planes and surrounded by snow, the white gold which brings hundreds of thousands to the Southern Lakes of New Zealand every winter.

There are several ski fields within short driving distance of Queenstown, the closest being around 30 minutes away. With four mountains to choose from we asked around the local stores in Queenstown for recommendations.

One name that kept popping up from ski store staff was ‘Cardrona’ or ‘Cardies’ as the locals call it. We were soon convinced by the locals that a 60 minute drive to Cardrona was worth the drive time. Sporting the slogan: “Fun Guaranteed”…we simply had to put it to the test.

The next morning we hit the road to Cardrona. The journey felt quicker than an hour, driving over New Zealand’s highest road: The Crown Range, was a scenic smorgasbord in itself. The views from the range are outstanding, especially in winter with the vast snowcapped mountains towering over the lakes and green countryside. Shortly after popping out of the range we are greeted with a line of traffic all turning left at the large red ‘Cardrona’ sign. As we start our trek up the gravel mountain road we are greeted by smiling staff 18

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members waving us good morning and spot a large Penguin sitting on a wall grasping a fishing rod. It’s a strange sight and gives us all a laugh, the friendly welcome reassures us that we were in for quite a unique alpine experience.

This was amplified again 10 minutes up the mountain road when we spotted a colourful lady in a crazy fairy outfit standing on a rock, smiling and waving her wand at every car that passed. “Did we just see that?” my friend questioned, it was starting to feel a bit like a very happy dream.

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At the top of the road we are greeted by a young lad wearing a high vis vest and a big grin who guides us into our parking spot. The place is alive with people getting ready for a big day on the slopes. Kids are already making snowballs, friends are laughing with each other, parents organising their families are directed to the base area by more smiling staff members. We haven’t even got on a chairlift yet and the atmosphere is already buzzing with excitement.

Since we had already purchased

our passes from the Cardrona office in Queenstown our one stop before hitting the slopes was the rental department to kit my friend out with ski gear. Getting our rentals was all done with a tap of our lift pass (an electronic card with our purchased products already loaded) and soon we were walking our way through the brightly coloured base area to the chairlifts.

Cardrona spans across three wide basins, the first two are clearly visible from the base area and were a hive of activity today. “Woah!” my friend gasped as he caught a glimpse of a snowboarder boosting out of the Olympic sized halfpipe, spinning a couple rotations before landing back down its massive walls. Although our initial impression of Cardrona was all smiles and friendly welcomes, we quickly realised that there was a lot more to this place. Turns out Cardrona is a popular training ground for professional winter freestyle athletes and is a designated stop on both skiing and snowboarding world cup freestyle circuits. The well-known ‘Wells’ family call Cardrona their home mountain, growing up in the closest town of Wanaka where Cardrona is a mere 30 minute drive away. The four Wells brothers have succeeded internationally and put New Zealand on the map

as a freestyle Mecca for those in the competitive Snowsports industry. The older of the brothers, Jossi, has stood on the podium at the Winter X Games and was his nation’s top contender for a medal at this year’s Sochi Winter Olympic games. The New Zealand Olympic team also included two of his brothers, Byron and Beau James, who are also Cardrona ‘Team Riders’.

It is easy to see why this mountain is considered the home of freestyle terrain in the Southern Hemisphere. 21 of this year’s Winter Olympic freestyle medallists trained at Cardrona in 2013.

As we ride the chairlift we’re able to feast our eyes on numerous high flyers launch from the pipe walls or fly 60+ feet over the jumps in the terrain park.

The day was epic to say the least.

Bluebird skies, pristine snow conditions and wide open runs provided some lasting memories. The longest run is around 4km so it offers some thigh

burning laps to its lowest ‘Valley View’ chairlift. As we explore the mountain we are taken away by the breathtaking views which include Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu, Lake Hawea and the Cardrona Valley. From the top of the hill the base area looks like a colourful cartoon land. We decide to eat at ‘The Noodle Bar’ one of Cardrona’s five unique cafes in a large building which also contains a nursery and kindy for the little ones. Cardrona seems a perfect option for families as it boasts 4 kids’ centres and is well known for its various snow school programmes and quality of instructors. As we park up on the deck to enjoy our Asian style noodle box we are gifted a perfect view of the learner slope and the action from the halfpipe. The Penguin seems to have stopped fishing for the day and is now

high-fiving all the kids who are smitten by the large creature, totally oblivious to the randomness of a penguin being a mountain mascot!

A truly unique, welcoming and exciting snow experience, Cardrona Alpine Resort is a ‘must do’ activity in the Southern Lakes of New Zealand.

Whether you’re staying in the lively bustle of Queenstown or prefer the mellow, relaxed vibe of Wanaka, Cardrona is a purely amazing destination for all types of snow lovers. Whatever the level, you truly are guaranteed loads of fun at Cardrona.

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REMARKABLE

GOLF

by Steve Khatib

Millbrook Golf has taken me to various exotic locations throughout the world but I can honestly say I have never experienced more spectacular views than I have playing golf in Queenstown. Home of the New Zealand Open the region is by its namesake simply Not to mention the views flying Jetstar into Queenstown Airport. It is so convenient flying over Friday afternoon and playing golf Friday afternoon and all weekend flying back early Monday Im back in my office by lunchtime Monday. After landing and stepping onto the tarmac I took a deep breath of the fresh Southern Kiwi mountain air and knew I was back in The Wakatipu.

I picked up my bags and collected my hire car and made the 20-minute drive from the airport to the highly acclaimed five star Millbrook Resort where I was greeted with a warm welcome by the staff. They took their time to explain all the wonderful features of this amazing resort. Whether you are a golfing enthusiast or just want to relax and get away from it all Millbrook has something for everyone. So much to do and not enough time to do it all, I thought. So 22

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after checking into my room I thought I would head over to the pool, spa and sauna to relax. The transition from the sauna air to the fresh mountain air invigorated me in preparation for a big night ahead.

I took the Millbrook courtesy shuttle into Arrowtown, destination the New Orleans Hotel. Arrowtown is a historic scenic former gold rush town that was a rich source of gold in the 1860’s; it attracted many international visitors from across the globe looking to strike it rich. It is a multicultural town that strongly holds onto its heritage due to the village association committee.

I arrived in the heart of Arrowtown, at the famous Buckingham Street and the New Orleans Hotel ready to experience Southern Kiwi culture at its best; an All Black Rugby test match live on the big screen. The busy, very hands on publican Peter Whittaker made to time introduce me to some of the locals while I waited for my local friends to arrive.

The New Orleans Hotel had roaring log fires, live music, a range of the best southern kiwi beers on tap, great local meals and most importantly

at atmosphere with so many local characters that would rival anywhere for a Saturday night. After some famous Bluff Oysters and freshly bake bread the game was ready to start and the hotel was the only place to be in Arrowtown.

After an emphatic All Black win, my friends and strolled up the street to the Blue Door, a quaint popular wine bar that is home to some of the most famous Pinot’s in the world. The owner Peter Whittaker informed me of the fact that the climate of the Southern Lakes region is ideal for this variety of grape and I for one can strongly attest to that!

The next day I must confess I was a little dusty from the previous evenings festivities. So I headed over to the Millbrook Clubhouse for a hearty breakfast and strong cup of coffee to awaken the golfing brain. I was excited to play the course designed by Sir Bob Charles that hosts the national open, so with twenty-seven holes ahead of me I teed off on the Remarkables nine with an opening par five to commence with.

This nine hole is set at the base of the Remarkables mountain range and has some truly fabulous holes. My favourite

hole on this nine was without doubt the par five fifth hole. This dogleg right par five provides an option for longer hitters that can avoid bunkers off the tee to negotiate the lakes on the right hand side and potentially reach the green with their second shot. Otherwise an accurate lay up will be required to allow you to hit the narrow long green in regulation. The fifth is followed by two fine short holes.

The medium length par three sixth hole demands an accurate shot to a green guarded by sand left and right and water at the front. The short par four seventh is a classic risk reward hole. A bunker is strategically positioned in the centre of the fairway to catch many a tee shot.

Golfers may also see their ball roll off the elevated green to the right if they are not careful and do not allow themselves to aim far enough to the left for the sloping green. I luckily just managed to avoid the bunker off the tee driving just short of the green setting myself up for a confidence boosting birdie after a slow start to my round.

I finished the Remarkables nine well and now back at the clubhouse tee off on the Arrow nine. The Arrow nine is closet to the Arrowntown village. I was greeted with another par five this was much narrower and speaking from experience I would lay up well back from the pond and mill stream of the left hand side of the green. My favourite holes where the par four sixth and par three night. The

Queenstown sixth has a creek that meanders across the fairway and has a green guarded by deep bunkers on the right hand side.

The ninth is a real classic short finishing par three. Only a short iron to a green that is surrounded by water the ninth provides a great finish to a round with a many outcomes possible if scores are close within the group.

The new Coronet nine is designed

by Kiwi professional and former International Presidents Cup team member Greg Turner. I was surprised to hear that it had only just been opened in May 2010. It had more of a links

feel with holes winding through natural terrain with great views of Coronet Peak amongst the schist rocks, pot bunkers and natural grasses. The par five sixth hole had two fairways on one hole separated by a creek that runs directly through the middle of the fairway.

Decisions, decisions, I ended up taking the right hand side fairway due to the back left pin location and made a safe par. I really loved the visually intimidating par three seventh that followed with its rock wall backdrop; gee I was glad I selected the right club! The round finished with the downhill par five ninth

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hole. The green is set in front of a creek and with the traditional backdrop of The Millhouse Restaurant, where I enjoyed some great local seasonal dishes for an early dinner.

My thoughts of Millbrook where that the diverse nines and terrain made for such an interesting experience.

Personally I could not separate the Remarkables or Coronet nines, the mountain and links nines at one facility give Millbrook the best of both worlds.

Speaking from personal experience, I can completely endorse Millbrook’s recent ranking position as one of the top fifteen resorts in Australasia; it has the complete package.

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The next day I headed through to the other side of the village to the quaint visually stunning Arrowtown Golf Club. As I arrived at the club I honestly did not know what to expect and in fact was pleasantly surprised by the course. Arrowtown had a real country, provincial welcoming feel to it, Mark in the pro shop joined me up with some of the locals and I really enjoyed my round of which I only needed to use my driver on five occasions. The course has two distinctive nines either side of the Centennial Avenue. The front nine has numerous slopes and schist rocks strategically positioned to catch your ball. Some of the views from the elevated

tees, especially the ninth tee are amazing however as I found out this is a course that places a premium on accuracy so don’t be fooled into using your driver more than absolutely necessary.

After I crossed the road to the back nine set on the banks of the Arrowtown River, I also found that the firm, true, small greens need to be approached with care. Should you miss the greens on the wrong side I found it nearly impossible to chip close to the hole. The eighteenth hole makes for a great finish to the round and is known as the signature hole of the course. I avoided the water that was lurking left of the fairway, however I needed to take an extra club to make

it to the green. Instead my ball rolled several metres back down the slope off the front of the green; so don’t be fooled by the deceptive distance of your approach.

I headed back into the clubhouse for a Speights amber ale with the locals and they told me all about how proud they were of the history of their club that is over one hundred years old. Arrowtown in autumn with all of the deciduous trees set amongst the mountains is a really stunning course.

The Hills Golf Club was the final course of my Arrowtown swing. I drove up McDonnell Road and actually drove past the entrance gates. You see the

The Hills Golf Club is set on a private property owned by the famous jeweller Michael Hill, which had started as a practice hole in his backyard; so the low key wooden gates have a very small sign and intercom service to allow you in the drive. From that moment onwards as you drive up the entrance road to modern clubhouse set tastefully set into the landscape nothing is understated.

The Hills Golf Club that has hosted many tournaments such as the New Zealand PGA and currently is joint host to the New Zealand Open is aptly named as it is set over five hundred acres of land that has rolling hills, wetlands, lakes, native grasses and tussocks that grab your ball should you stray off line. The panoramic views that I experienced from many of the elevated tees of the mountains and Arrowtown village are breathtaking and somewhat distracting in a positive way. I found myself stopping on many occasions to take photographs, which was no problem as golfers will never feel rushed on this course. Craig and Julie at the clubhouse made me feel most welcome and gave me some interesting insights on course.

I drove my cart to the first tee ready for a medium length par five opening hole that was playing downwind. A perfect start for me hitting the green in two a two putting for birdie. Make no mistake this is not an easy course, as I found out soon after, there are a mixture of short and long holes which total length from the back tees measures over 6500 metres. The most challenging hole I found on the front nine was the par three fourth hole. A visually intimidating hole from the tee with water short and right of the green and bunkers and tussocks that surround the green the wind plays a big part of club selection here. Due to the strong cross winds, I conservatively bailed out to the left and found the green side bunker.

Although this was not an easy bunker shot to a firm sloping green, alas I made a bogey four, which could have been much worse.

Every hole at The Hills is unique so there is no real distinction between the back or front nine styles. Other holes that captured my imagination where the par five thirteenth a dogleg par five that is well set into the terrain with a series of bunkers on the right and long rough on the left. The green is almost three clubs deep so depending on the location of the pin it could be anything from a

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wedge to mid iron shot to the flag. The controversial par three sixteenth is often a talking point amongst my pro golfing circles. A glutton for punishment, I decided to play it from the back tees and ensured I did not find the bryne but failed to hold the green with my hybrid shot.

Next time I will play it from the middle tees for sure. The next and penultimate hole is the signature hole and most photographed on the course. A par five that has a narrow fairway working its way through a canyon guarded by fairway bunkers. The green has many undulations to it also which can make for a long putt should your approach not find the correct section of the green. I agree with most about its signature hole status, as this was also my favourite

hole apart from its obvious picturesque nature, but because it challenged me to think differently about every shot.

The Hills Golf Club is a must golf experience if you are travelling to the Queenstown area and I while playing the course, whether you are artistically inclined or not I urge you all to take your time to appreciate the growing number of modern sculptures by local artists that Michael Hill has strategically positioned on almost every hole.

I then headed to Queenstown for The Glebe Apartments; the most popular spot to stay if are a golfing in the Queenstown area. Anne Henley was such a welcoming host and knows everything that golfers need to enjoy their stay while off the links. Anne

Queenstown

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organised the Cecil Peak Penthouse Suite for my stay at The Glebe and looking directly out the window I could see Lake Wakatipu and the Queenstown night skyline. Wanting something casual and easy going for dinner, I took Anne’s recommendation and strolled down to The Cow for a pizza and I was extremely pleased that I did.

The next day I drove around to the other side of the lake to play the Queenstown Golf Club at Kelvin Heights. The club was recently voted New Zealand’s most scenic golf course and is really enjoyable to play. Queenstown is not an overly long course and is set amongst pine trees on undulating land on the banks of Lake Wakapitu with the Remarkable mountain range as a backdrop. Golfers also have views across the lake to Queenstown and its surrounding villages.

I found some appeal with every hole, but the holes that really stood out to me where the par four fifth, the signature hole of the course where I was temped to drive too close to the lake that guards the left hand side of the fairway and my ball found a watery grave. Also the downhill par three eleventh hole, a short

hole where it is very tricky to gauge the correct club selection due to its elevation and the wind the normally blows directly into your face off the lake behind the green. I did however fire a punch seven iron safely onto the putting surface for a two putt par.

After lunch in the clubhouse, I made the short drive to Jacks Point, the grand finale of my trip this time.

Jacks Point was a community like no other; the whole area is a completely different way of life. With the Remarkables mountain range located so close to you that it feels like you could actually hit your ball into them, rolling land that is a golf course designers dream with so many holes appearing to have been there for hundreds of years and surrounded on the other side of the property by Lake Wakapitu. So many activities are happening at the one time other than golf with walking trails, sky diving and cycling just to name a few, yet there is a stillness peace and tranquillity around the golf course that makes you feel like your group is alone on the links.

The Golf Professional and General Manager John Griffin runs a great

complex with nothing too much trouble to assist me in enjoying my round. The course itself makes its way from the lodge at the first tee near the razorback Remarkables to the Lake Wakapitu.

Throughout there are many natural grass tussocks and schist rock strategically used by course architect John Darby in the design. It has has some traditional stone fences throughout the course which do remind me of classic links courses such as North Berwick in Scotland My favourite hole was the short par three seventh hole that has a green located directly on the edge of Lake Wakapitu. I played my 9 iron safely onto the front edge of the green and escaped with a par; however the wind can be a factor so ensure your club of choice is shorter rather than longer or an over aggressive shot will pay the price.

Playing Jacks Point once is not enough and it seems that I am not the only one that thinks this. Many organised groups, such as Tim’s Remarkables Golf Tour groups choose to play Jacks Point several times during their stay in Central Otago; so the club have devised a a

rate that is nearly fifty percent cheaper should you wish to play Jack Point on a second occasion. A great idea in my opinion, so I will be back next time to play multiple rounds guaranteed.

I headed back to The Glebe Apartments to freshen up, for one last night out in Queenstown before my direct flight back to Melbourne the next morning. My Queenstown golf experience exceeded my expectations and I will be back again with more time to immerse myself in all of the unique activities this region has to offer along with more golf of course.

Steve Khatib founder of Golf Dynamics is an internationally respected authority VU HSS TH[[LYZ NVSM V^PUN [V OPZ HMÄSPH[PVUZ through many years spent with the worlds leading golf minds in the USA. Steve presents several popular radio and television programs throughout Australia and has been awarded PGA Teacher of the Year, PGA AAA Specialiast Coach HUK 4HZ[LY *S\IÄ[[LY accreditations.

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