Fiordland Lodge luxury accommodation

The road to Milford Sound is an ever increasingly busy highway with both domestic and international visitors here to get a glimpse of what Rudyard Kipling described some time in the 19th century as the “8th Wonder of the World”, even the journey through to Milford Sound is an experience on it’s own.

Along the way there are lake views, rivers and the ever present rain forest dominates once the west is reached.  Then there are the mountains that create the weather patterns to sustain the rain forests. These mountains are the backbone of Fiordland. The scenery is such that at almost every corner on the highway there is another photo opportunity.
 
But tucked away from view on the Road to Milford Sound, on an elevated terrace overlooking the South Fiord of Lake Te Anau and those mountains of Fiordland is one of New Zealand’s Luxury Lodges.  

Opened back in 2002, Fiordland Lodge is owned, operated and built by long time locals Ron and Robynne Peacock. Fiordland Lodge caters for the discerning visitor. This is fine dining, 10 guest rooms all with gob smacking views out across the lake and set on 19 hectares. There is not another building in sight.

Ron and Robynne employed the services of a log builder to pull the design together and the log construction is quite unique with massive whole tree trunks supporting ceilings. A huge 11 metre floor to ceiling river stone fireplace is the centre feature of the lounge and the open fire is 2 metres across.

Two log cabins built in the old traditional way with hand peeled logs that have been sun dried complement the 10 guest rooms. The log cabins are around 200 metres from the Lodge and they are tucked away in well sheltered gardens giving heaps of privacy.
 
An easy care landscaping design gives a touch of native species with large red tussocks blowing in the wind and flowering flaxes attracting native honey eaters. The car parking is discreetly out of sight. On arrival the first view out across Lake Te Anau is there once you go though the huge double doors built out of left over logs from the construction. The reception and bar top counters are huge flitches of rimu recovered from the ocean. Everything here is on a massive scale, even the views.

This is the place to chill out after that journey into Fiordland. Sit back in the big leather chairs, the staff will bring you some refreshments, take in that amazing unimpeded view out across Lake Te Anau to the distant mountains of Fiordland and just think, what would Rudyard have had to say about this place.

I would say he had to have had to been impressed.