Arrowtown (NZ): It's An Attitude

Arrowtown Club House, hidden deep in the valleys of New Zealand's South Island, is an attitude, rather than a building, according to its architect Andrew Patterson. Truly one of the most stunning examples of harmonizing building with breathtaking landscape, this golf course and club house take careful cues from nature. A philosophy of being part of this world and this world being part of us is thread through Patterson's design. Built from local rock, wedged from the earth, and covered with native grasses, its evident that Arrowtown Club House respects its gorgeous new home. Cruise over to the South Island via video, produced by Wallpaper Magazine.

It's safe to say that the presence of the internet has seriously cut down on the amount of actual day-to-day, paper and ink, reading that goes down. Which is a shame, certainly. But among the silver linings to this proverbial cloud is the vastly increased exposure we now have to such little nuggets of wonderment as this short clip, a painstakingly detailed work that would have gone largely unseen in the days before broadband. We watch as the novel Going West, by New Zealand author Maurice Gee, is almost literally brought to life as the pages themselves spring into the third dimension and give form to the actions described therein. This particular silver lining happens to be especially lustrous, as the video is in fact among the New Zealand Book Council's admirable efforts to inspire people to read, and specifically to promote the stories and storytellers of New Zealand. Which, incidentally, makes for our second New Zealand themed post this week.

High Tea in a Tree

Combining fine dining and tree houses seems like a great idea no matter how you slice it, but in the land that famously portrayed Middle Earth in the Lord of the Rings movies, it's absolutely inspired. Especially considering that the structure in question, which resembles an enormous chrysalis on the verge of producing a pterodactyl-sized butterfly, could easily pass for some sort of magical elven diner.


The Yellow Treehouse, which was built as part of a promotion for the directory service Yellow, was unfortunately only in operation as a restaurant for a few short months, but luckily for anyone in need of a majestic setting for a classy event, the tree house is currently available as a venue for hire. Anyone for a wedding reception in the trees?

Global Treks: Milford Sound

The Milford Track (approximately 33 miles) is in the heart of spectacular Fiordland National Park, part of the Te Wāhipounamu – South West New Zealand World Heritage Area. Fiordland National Park has some of the oldest rocks in New Zealand. What today is known as the Milford Track was once one of the two principal trails, used by Māori, linking Fiordland with the rest of Te Wai Pounamu (South Island) for the gathering of pounamu (greenstone). Believed by many to be amongst the top hikes in the world, the 'Milford Sound' track boasts breathtaking lush mountain vistas and a jagged glacial landscape. The track may be only accessed by boat to and from the trailheads, providing scenic views of million year old glacial 'hangovers' as the ocean has slowly seeped through the hills and into this enormous body of water over thousands of years. The track is well worth the time and effort, if you ever make it to Zealand, of course. Be warned, because of its mesmerizing terrain, the Milford Track can exceed 14,000 visitors in a given year during the peak season (Oct 28 - Apr 29), and comes with a larger fee. But, our sources tell us that waiting even a few days after peak season ends in early May (to also avoid harsh winter conditions deep in the off-season), the Milford Sound will be your own playground, leaving hearty winter travelers with the time, space and solitude to take in this ancient landscape uninterrupted. We think it's worth the wait. Photograph is courtesy of William Collins, Archetype Productions.