$10m lodge with a mission is the talk of Te Anau

By KIMBERLY PATERSON and EUGENE BINGHAM

Te Anau, long used to tourists from around the world passing through, is now hosting some long-stay visitors that are dividing the remote resort town.

In the depths of the South Island an old hunting lodge has been spruced up as a luxury spa and training centre.

Takaro Lodge, in the wilderness beyond Te Anau, has been reincarnated as a luxury health resort run by a Chinese "grandmaster", Aiping Wang, and her Croatian husband, Aleksandar Fulepp.

The $10 million resort offers peace and New Age energy boosts - at a price - to adherents of Wang's philosophy, which is advertised globally.

Complete with an underground bunker and sophisticated satellite technology, it draws people from Eastern Europe and the Balkans in search of its alternative therapies and life counselling.

Some locals, including farmer John Smart, worry about what is going on behind the doors of the remote lodge.

One day at 8am, he found a man walking in the rain away from the resort.

"I pulled aside and asked if I could give him a lift somewhere and he said, 'Anywhere, mate, would be better than where I've been'."

Local churchmen say they are uncomfortable about some of the group's philosophies. The local police have heard the talk about town but say there have been no complaints.

Other people, including local mayor Frana Cardno, say Aiping Wang has brought a lot of good to the community - including investment.

As part of its community input, the lodge has donated more than $1 million for a community medical centre.

Aiping Wang has also spent millions of dollars with Te Anau and Invercargill businesses setting up the lodge - one of four she has set up worldwide.

"Certainly when you go out there and consider how derelict the lodge was, they have completely reconstructed it and bought as much as possible locally," says Ms Cardno.

One big order was for the satellite and communications equipment that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"She runs a worldwide business and this is all part of it - this is how they communicate," says Ms Cardno.

As for the vast bunker under the group's stadium, the mayor says she has heard plenty of rumours about what it is for.

Sure, there is food stored down there. "But often out there you can get snowed in," she says.

"In Te Anau, we have people from all over the world and I celebrate difference. As long as they are not interfering with my beliefs and as long as they are not harming anyone, that is what makes us a diverse society."

The lodge has gained official recognition for what it offers. The Qualifications Authority confirmed yesterday that the lodge had accreditation for its 603 Phenomena Academy courses.

It offers self-management and social and co-operation skills training with courses in life consultancy training and Shen Qi instructor training.

But quite what the group is offering or how its self-proclaimed healing powers work is unclear, even to members.

"We don't have a handle on it either," said Nenad, a 31-year-old Croatian. "We go with the mystery, else it's all about control."