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LIFE | TRAVEL
IMAGES: CHRIS MCLENNANIn the estate’s sprawling gardens I meet
passionate chef Michele Martino, who has
brought to New Zealand the Michelin-starred
cuisine of southern Italy’s Don Alfonso 1890,
where he was the protégé of chef Ernesto
Iaccarino. Martino grows almost everything
he needs on site. “There’s something very
satisfying about being able to choose what
to cook each day based on what nature has
offered,” says the ever-smiling chef as he
examines a crop of pomodori di pachino, the
luscious tomato of southern Italy. “Everything
grows well here. It’s paradise.”
Martino uses the exceptional produce to
create spectacular, insightful dishes, from
seared slipper lobster with pesto to John
Dory with anchovy and star anise cream,
which are served in the cosy, book-lined den
by waiters in slightly out-of-place tuxedos. If
it were my estate, I’d go for something a little
more contemporary with the uniform, but
the service is crisp and refined and the meal
truly magical.DINE AND UNWIND The outdoor fire pit is a cosy spot amid the carpet of lawn around the main lodge.
Opposite page: The lodge’s 25-metre heated infinity poolThe next morning, I do as the super-rich
apparently do and contemplate life in the
steam room before having it flash before my
eyes as I leap into the pool, bashfully waving
at another CCTV camera hidden in a thicket
of native bush.
There are plenty of relaxing or energetic
activities on offer, from helicopter flights to
the famous Hole in the Rock on Motukokako
Island and rounds of golf at acclaimed Kauri
Cliffs, to hiking and diving excursions. There’s
even a tennis court complete with murderous
ball machine permanently set to “Anna
Kournikova,” and a little pier from which
guests can fish for snapper.
After a day and a half of pretending to be
a media-shy billionaire, I’m well rested and
well fed but a little lonely, so my advice to
oligarchs and anyone else planning a few days
in this bucolic paradise: pack your jet with
the right people, because Helena Bay may be
a luxury lodge, but it’s always better when it
feels like a home.