A review of one of New Zealand’s most exclusive lodges

Whether you are staying at the waterfront Boathouse, the stately Cooper Residence – where ‘Barack Obama’ is the first name in the guest book – or the three-bedroom Vineyard Villa with its own pool, you know you are experiencing one of New Zealand’s most exclusive properties when you stay at The Landing

It’s early morning at The Boathouse, one of four exclusive residences set over 405 coastal hectares, at The Landing, in New Zealand’s Bay Of Islands. I’ve woken in the king-sized master bedroom, set beneath a cathedral roof upstairs, with the first light of day, and am now sitting in the open-plan kitchen-cum-living and dining area, ogling the view through the huge front windows.

The Bay of Islands is a part of the Northland region, which was recently named one of US National Geographic’s ‘top destinations for 2025’. As I watch the rising sun illuminate several green, hillocky islands before me in Wairoa Bay, bringing a glint to the blue-green ocean rasping gently on the cocoa-coloured beach, it is not hard to see why.

If the extensive archeological remains, both here at The Landing and along this whole coastline, are anything to go by, then the Maori, arriving here around 800 years ago from Polynesia, certainly loved this place. They called it Ipipiri, meaning ‘many places to settle, fish, swim and enjoy what nature provided’. It was only after Captain Cook sailed through the region, in late 1769, that it became more prosaically known as the Bay of Islands.

There is, in the quiet of dawn, a palpable sense of the land’s Maori ancestry. In 1807, the Māori village of Te Puna, located here, was known as ‘the capital of the country’. There are remnants of defensive palisades on the cliff tops above The Boathouse, and excavations continuing of an extensive burial site in neighbouring Rangihoua Bay. Local Maori tribes (iwi) have also been actively involved in preserving the history and landscape at The Landing, since it was purchased by Northland-born developer, Peter Cooper, in 1999.

Delicious food cooked on-site

While the amply-stocked pantry and fridge at the two-bedroom, waterside Boathouse would make a DIY breakfast an easy task, one treat of staying at The Landing is having private chefs on-call to provide all meals for guests.

When my fourteen-year-old Freya finally wakes from her teenage slumber, local chef Kharla Apiata arrives to make her fresh waffles and for me, eggs Benedict, using eggs just collected from The Landing’s own chickens.

In between activities during the day, a lunch spread of cold meats, cheese, freshly-made bread and an array of salads and sauces is delivered and laid-out on the marble kitchen bench. It is so generous we barely make inroads into it.

The real glory of this private chef service, though, comes at night, with carefully curated dinners making the most of this region’s abundant ingredients and taking into account any dietary foibles, like my daughter’s vegetarianism.

On our first night, Executive Chef Mathew Cook arrives to create a memorable four-course feast, chatting as he cooks up a storm in the kitchen. First up is a celeriac velouté with Manuka grilled paua (NZ abalone) served with kumara and flaxseed flatbread. It is followed by a butternut and ricotta tortellini entree and an irresistibly succulent main of Northland lamb rack with eggplant, kumara fondant and salsa verde. A near perfect meal is rounded out with a chocolate ganache with coffee cremeux, blackberries and hazelnut.

On our second night, chef Kharla is back to deliver fall-off-the fork Northland snapper, with an olive oil and saffron emulsion and green beans, caramelised parsnips and baby carrots; dukkha crumbed portobello mushrooms; with chocolate brownies and lemon curd Choux for afters. All non-alcoholic drinks are included in a stay or you can choose an appropriate drop to buy to accompany meals from The Landing’s own hilltop winery.

A bespoke tasting of The Landing’s award-winning wines – sustainably created by viticulturalist Ben Byrne and his team from 13 hectares of vineyards – is also incorporated into every stay. The vineyard’s plantings include rosé, syrah, pinot gris, chardonnay, sangiovese, montepulciano, malbec, cabernet franc and merlot varietals.

Family-friendly luxury

With no less than six private beaches and a selection of snorkels, kayaks and paddleboards on hand at The Landing, it seems practically purpose-built for a family summer holiday. At The Boathouse, in particular, extensive outdoor terraces mean parents can watch children playing safely in the calm waters of Wairoa Bay while they sit back and relax with a coffee or a glass of champagne.

There’s a half-basketball court adjacent to the Boathouse, where Freya and I spend two afternoons perfecting our dunks, and a full-sized tennis court along with a well-equipped gym located behind the magnificent five-bedroom Cooper Residence, on the hill above. Walking tracks thread throughout the property, and there are bikes available for cycling around.

Both the included heritage tour and the night-time kiwi spotting walk are not to be missed. On the first, we take in the important cultural sites at The Landing and learn of the establishment of New Zealand’s first Mission station, in nearby Hohi Bay, by the Reverend Samuel Marsden, who arrived from Sydney in 1814.

On the second, we spot two kiwis of the Northland Brown variety, foraging for grubs on the property’s extensive lawns. It is a testament to The Landing’s pioneering regeneration of native forest and wetlands that the number of kiwis here has more than quadrupled in the last twenty years, and other birdlife, such as the rare brown teal, is also thriving.

Out to sea

No visit to this spectacular region would be complete without a boat trip out among the 144 islands offshore. Included in our stay is a full morning’s cruise on The Landing’s speedboat, Ranginui, during which skipper Brett Michalick takes us to the Te Pahi islands to see some rare columns of volcanic black rock offshore.

With translucent emerald and turquoise seas gathering in sandy coves, these islands could easily be mistaken for Polynesia, from where the Maori migrated eight centuries ago in double-hulled catamarans, navigating using ocean currents and the stars. Skipper Michalick is a born storyteller, sharing tales of local Maori chief, Te Pahi, and his encounters with French and British explorers. We stop at Motuarohia Island, where Cook anchored Endeavour in 1769 and went ashore, only to be met by 200 angry warriors. Te Pahi eventually came to understand the benefits of co-operating with ‘the pakeha’ (white people) and ended up going to stay with Governor King in Sydney, in 1805.

Nature, heritage and spectacular beauty

At The Landing, whether you are staying at the waterfront Boathouse, the stately Cooper Residence, where Barack Obama is the first name in the guest book, or the three-bedroom Vineyard Villa, with its own pool, you know you are experiencing one of New Zealand’s most exclusive properties. Its cultural connections, admirable environmental credentials, luxurious accommodation, indulgent chef-created cuisine, excellent wines and spectacular setting make it one of the most unforgettable places I have stayed in my thirty years as a travel writer.

thelandingnz.com