Art deco dream at historic Hawkes Bay lodge

By KAREN GOA


Not to be confused with the light switch, the servants' bell pull in my suite is just one clue that personal service at The Master's Lodge is many notches above the ordinary.

Owners Larry and Joan Blume, who gave up law, dentistry and general hustle and bustle in New York for adventure and "a simpler lifestyle" in Hawkes Bay, took over the historic lodge from its previous Swiss owners in May.

The gracious and affable Blumes kindly offer to come running should I feel the need to pull the bell and, believe me, it's tempting.

From the early-20s to the mid-60s The Master's Lodge was home to the family of Baron Gerhard Husheer, managing director of the National Tobacco Company, whose art deco/art nouveau headquarters in Ahuriri is the region's most beautiful building.

Husheer, working with local architect Louis Hay, had a hand in the fruit-and-flower-themed leadlight designs in the solarium-cum-TV and reading room (there can be no prettier place to watch the rugby) across the hall from the lodge's two suites, the Deco Suite and my quarters, the Kidnappers Suite.

Rose leadlights winding across the bay window in my suite are based on the designs of Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Looking out I can count the norfolk pines lining Marine Parade down below and see faraway Cape Kidnappers, where not an hour earlier I'd visited the world's largest mainland colony of the gannets.

Next door, the Deco Suite - once Husheer's wife's private quarters - has views across the gardens in one direction and the sea in another. The erstwhile maid's chambers are now a funky green-and-yellow tiled deco ensuite with the best view from a bathtub you're likely to get anywhere.

My own suite includes a period-style bathroom in gannet-eye blue, all aglow with more leadlights. The cast iron bathtub, I soon discover, is perfect for a pre-dinner soak.

Husheer used the lodge as a testing ground for art deco and art nouveau designs. The entrance hall screen is a replica of the one made for a 1925 art deco exhibition in Paris, while art nouveau influences are obvious in the beautiful pink lounge where Larry serves complimentary cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.

After a decent interval post-canapes I'm ushered into the dining room across the hall. The dinner menu - with my name at the top - proclaims the evening's feast: manuka smoked salmon on a cucumber nest, mixed greens, mint and nasturtium salad, grilled Verry Ranch beef filet, and chilled strawberry-rhubarb soup.

While Joan works alongside chef Karen Goldwater in the kitchen, Larry matches the courses with local, hard-to-find wines.

When I finally climb the stairs to my room, I find one perfect camellia and chocolates on the bedside table. Do I give in to my delusions of grandeur and pull the servants' bell? No. I can't think of a thing I could possibly want.

* Karen Goa was a guest of The Master's Lodge.

Where to find it

The Master's Lodge, 10 Elizabeth Rd, Bluff Hill, Napier.

Ph (06) 834 1946, fax (06) 834 1947

Email The Master's Lodge

Getting there

Four hours' drive from Wellington, five hours from Auckland, daily flights from main centres. The Master's Lodge is 10 minutes' drive from Napier's airport, 10 minutes' walk to shops, beach and restaurants.

What it costs

Single or double occupancy $640 a suite a night, includes gourmet breakfast.

Facilities

Wheelchair access: no. Children: not suitable. Smoking: outside on the verandah or in the garden. Animals on site: Casigh the elderly sealpoint siamese. Food Dinner is by arrangement, $120 a person (exclusive of wine), using New Zealand produce supplied by growers who meet the Blumes' criteria for ecologically sound agricultural practices (free range, no hormones or additives). The hosts can also book dinner reservations for guests wanting to dine in Napier or at a local winery (try Sileni Estates or Mission Estate Winery).

What to do

Absolutely nothing - just de-stress in the serene surrounds. If that's too slow-paced, the hosts can arrange tours or other activities, from golf to gannets and beauty treatments and massage at Napier's seafront Ocean Spa.


The Master's Lodge