Real Living Australia - June 2018

Sense of perspective

Vistas of Lake Wakatipu and

the soaring Southern Alps from

Aro Ha resort are monumental

• the towering mountains make
  everyday cares seem minor. A

RESORT NESTLED WITHIN NEW ZEALAND’S AWE-INSPIRING SOUTHERN ALPS

MELBOURNE PHOTOGRAPHER NIKOLE RAMSAY is a self-confessed beach girl, so visiting the mountains

in New Zealand’s South Island in the middle of winter was “a bit outside my comfort zone”. Yet now she

would return in a heartbeat, especially to the Aro Ha eco resort near Queenstown. “My sister and I were

looking for a holiday which was active, challenging, nourishing but also relaxing and calming,” she says. With

its Zen-inspired luxury and “wellness adventures”, Aro Ha ticked all those boxes and plenty more besides.

Each day, the pair hiked in the lofty mountain air for more than three hours, then wallowed in spa treatments

in the afternoon, including blissful massages, the perfect reward for a morning of exertions. “I was a huge fan

of the open-air plunge pools,” says Nikole. “An evening plunge into an icy pool, followed by a hot plunge under

the stars, was a highlight.” Also on the menu to help her rebalance was yoga, and sessions on mindfulness,

healing bodywork and nutrition – all food served here is highly nourishing, organic and plant-based.

The view from the resort, overlooking lake and mountains, was spectacular. “I was in awe of the

mountains’ scale, the crispness of the air and the feeling of things being so remote and untouched,” Nikole

says. “Although I’ve travelled a lot, New Zealand was easily the most beautiful place I have ever been. There

is something about the landscape that’s humbling. It felt strangely comforting, like you were enveloped by

these huge powerful mountains that had been there for thousands of years.” The life-changing experience

remains with her. “I often draw on Aro Ha when I’m not feeling connected in everyday life and one sentence

from my week there rings true: ‘Our distance from nature is our distance from wellbeing’.” R

44°53’49.9”S / 168°24’56.6”E

real living

159

WA NDE R