A helicopter rises above the top shelf in New Zealand's Southern Alps, writes Craig Tansley
There's something irrefutably regal about skiing like this; I doubt the Queen herself travels quite so comfortably.
A waiter in a black suit is standing by on the Great Lawn, just beside the perfectly manicured camellia beds, a glass of pinot noir balanced on a wooden tray.
As the helicopter lands on a lawn that has hosted some of New Zealand's most significant polo matches - even a royal visit - he barely seems to notice the sudden windstorm as he takes my snow gear and offers the glass in return.
Barely 25 minutes ago I'd been dusting the snow off after a day in boot-deep fresh powder in New Zealand's best heli-accessed back country. Now I'm gazing out across fields of daffodils and country estates barely 25 minutes' drive from Christchurch's CBD. And soon, after a twilight spent on the balcony of Otahuna's heritage homestead, a five-course degustation dinner will be served beside an open fireplace.
If you believe you've tried everything in New Zealand's snow country, you should really think again. Otahuna, long hailed as one of the country's leading summer retreats, offers Australian skiers a completely different type of alpine experience.
What's more, you can effectively be skiing within an hour of leaving the airport in Christchurch.
Otahuna offers a range of heli-touring experiences - but the lodge is also only an hour's drive from the Porters ski area in Canterbury, and just 20 minutes further to Mount Hutt (the longest ski season in the South Island). It's in the Tai Tapu farming district south of Christchurch, among cheery local pubs and tiny historic villages. The house itself was built in 1895. Out here among the sheep farms and gentle rolling hills, the renowned Southern Alps seem a long way removed. But after a long, leisurely breakfast, a helicopter lands on the lawn and within 25 minutes the patchwork fields of the Canterbury Plains give way to dramatic snow-covered peaks. There's more than 1000 square kilometres of skiable terrain out here beyond the headwaters of the Rakaia and Rangitata rivers, hundreds of possible ski runs and views all the way to the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
Single and multi-day heli-skiing adventures can be arranged by Otahuna in country that can only be accessed by one heli-ski operator. We land on the top of a narrow ridgeline and ride boot-deep powder for kilometres, managing seven runs for the day before flying back over farmers on tractors and sheep in green paddocks to Otahuna.
The next morning a helicopter lands me in the car park of Mount Hutt, where I ride the chairlifted terrain all morning before a lunch on the deck of Huber's Hut under a perfect blue sky.
For those looking for something different again, Otahuna also offers the World in a Day - a helicopter excursion that takes you through the Southern Alps to the rainforest-covered Westland coastline, where a diver will collect a seafood lunch to be eaten at the high-end alpine camp, Minaret Station. There's also whale watching and local area sightseeing heli-tours.
TRIP NOTES
GETTING THERE
Air New Zealand flies daily from Sydney to Christchurch from $265 one way. Call 13 24 76 or see airnewzealand.com.au.
STAYING THERE
Otahuna offers seven luxury suites with meals, and can arrange everything from heli-tours to massage, cooking classes, biking, golf and more; see otahuna.co.nz.
MORE INFORMATION
newzealandski.co.nz/new-zealand/canterbury-mackenzie.
