Picture this: After a full-on but rewarding day clambering to the lofty tops of the Seaward Kaikouras, fording streams and scrambling over boulders and scree slopes, you descend through a green valley to find a vision shimmering in the late afternoon sunshine. Beneath a lone Mountain Ribbonwood tree is a feast. There’s spicy apple cake, cheese and crackers, strawberries and melons, and pitchers of chilled, thirst quenching fruit punch. What a treat for weary walkers!

Host Nicky McArthur and helper Jude serve the repast to the walkers who sprawl out in the sun. Cares and stress slide away. It’s a lovely touch in a special place. Nicky calls the tree “a wedding tree” because in January it sheds white flowers like confetti. She has applied for a marriage celebrant licence, and would love to have a wilderness wedding.

The feast is just one of a number of special touches that make the Kaikoura Wilderness Walk strand out.

Think Kaikoura and many people think of a rocky coast, whale watching, seals, and crayfish – and yes, it’s all that, about a couple of hours north of Christchurch or south of Picton. Head inland instead and you discover another world again: rugged mountain scenery, unusual plants and wildlife – and a luxury eco lodge to tempt walkers who want to get away from it all yet get pampered at the same time.

The Kaikoura Wilderness Walk is a two or three-day adventure that traverses New Zealand's highest privately owned land, rising to 2438m. Half of 1618 ha, the Puhi Peaks Nature Reserve, is under a QEII covenant. Endangered Hutton's shearwaters nest high up on a remote peak, and DOC (Department of Conservation) staff fly in by helicopter to study them.

Shearwater Lodge, a purpose-built luxury eco lodge, was built in 2005, and Nicky took over running it fulltime in 2008. It’s a remote spot, but you won't stint on comfort. The lodge accommodates up to 12 guests who instead of hunkering down on tramping hut bunks, float off to sleep on superking mattresses. Each room has its own ensuite and balcony with a view of native bush. In the main lodge room you lounge in leather sofas and sip your pre-dinner glass of wine, and then indulge in scrumptious food served by
Nicky, Jude, and Rowena. Among the offerings are venison, beef, and chicken pie; crayfish, tuna, and salmon; fresh fruit and ice cream; cake; cheeses; and for breakfast, pancakes and maple syrup, bacon and scrambled eggs; fruit salad and yoghurt.
 
You are hardly roughing it. In fact, you are thoroughly pampered. Nicky is meticulous about details and anxious to ensure guests are well looked after at all times. Born in Britain with a Kiwi father, she farmed in Central Otago and North Canterbury before moving to Kaikoura. She is also an artist, a cordon-bleu trained cook, and a triathlete who has represented New Zealand. She is bursting with energy and passionate about the environment. “We are only ever lent the land, and we have a huge responsibility to act as caretakers and guardians,” says Nicky. One of her favorite quotes is: “The things that matter most in this world are the things that carry no price tag for they can neither be bought nor sold at any price.”

Running the lodge (at an altitude of 1000m above sea level) requires determination and hard work. It has its own micro hydropower system, and all waste must be transported out by helicopter on tough little Rhino 4WDs. A newly opened mini-museum' showcases Nicky's art and displays artifacts from a bygone era.

Your adventure starts in Kaikoura, from where you are taxied into the hills and the start of the walk at Puhi Peaks station. Nicky’s sons, Harry and Sam, sometimes accompany chief guide Lance. There is no need to take heavy packs as your luggage is transported to the lodge, but you do need a daypack with wet weather gear and warm clothing. In the mountains, the weather changes fast.

You may glimpse wild deer and stags, hardy mountain goats that bound up near vertical slopes, sheep, hare, and abundant birdlife including bellbirds and kea. Flora ranges from lowland kanuka and manuka, to mature totara forest. You reach Shearwater Lodge in the mid afternoon.

On day two (if you are doing the three-day walk) you climb up through Happy Valley, past the Wedding Tree and Emily Falls. Here you come across bright yellow “Maori Onion”, tiny mountain orchids, hebes, and ultra-resilient “Penwiper” (Nototholaspi rosulatum), which flower out of a stony slope. High above clouds scud across the rock face, revealing the peak of Te Ao Whekere,  “the world of the gods”. After fording a mountain stream you zigzag up to a cairn at 1522m (4995 feet). On a clear day you can see the Pacific Ocean, the North Island, and Banks Peninsula to the south.

On your final day you enjoy a leisurely morning walk to Beverly Falls, below the lodge, then after a gourmet lunch walk out via a different track, feeling relaxed, re-energized, and recharged.

Kaikoura Wilderness Walks runs from September or October to March inclusive (check website for current details). Hunting is available as part of a conservation strategy from April to June. All transport from and back to Kaikoura, accommodation, meals, and guides are included. You can also fly in by helicopter by arrangement.

Prices valid from 2011 to 2013 are $1195 for the two-day walk and $1595 for the three-day walk.

(Valid September 5, 2011 to April 1, 2012 and October 2, 2012 to March 31, 2013)