Magic of lonely places

High country drives, Auckland City parks, secluded Northland beaches, icy mountains, majestic forests, stunning seascapes - the entries to our New Zealand Magic competition are a reminder of the extraordinary range of beauty this country has to offer.

So many entries have come pouring in that we have to postpone the announcement of who has won the luxury weekends at Umoya Lodge, near Miranda, or Vintner's Haven, near Warkworth.

These are some of the contenders:

Oruawharo, Great Barrier Island

My own special place in New Zealand is known as Memory Rock. This tiny little rock is found at Oruawharo Beach (also called Medlands Beach, after the first European family to live and farm there) on the eastern side of Great Barrier Island.

This is the most beautiful beach one could imagine. There is no need to visit the smaller Pacific islands to lie on their white sands when we have such beauty here on our own doorstep.

As you come down the hill from Tryphena to Oruawharo the beach unfolds before you and there, in the middle, is the tiny Memory Rock.

On climbing to the top of the rock (only a short climb taking 5-10 minutes) you see a plaque laid in memory of the early settlers of the area "who, finding waste, created worth". It stirs up images of those early settlers and the enduring hardships they undoubtedly suffered.

But the joy and the peace of the place pervades all else as you look around at the beauty of the landscape and know that the next stop is South America. The breakers crash in and you realise your own insignificance.

- Kay Durrans

Ryton Station, Canterbury

For something off the beaten track the drive from Ryton Station to Mt Somers via the headwaters of the Rakaia and Ashburton Rivers is one I would recommend for those who love to mix adventure with travel.

A lazy mood and plenty of time are advantages, while a four-wheel drive vehicle and an ability to follow simple directions are essential requisites. Karen and Michael Mears,who have successfully incorporated tourism into their busy farming schedule own Ryton Station where the journey begins.

They arrange station-to-station tours and make all the necessary arrangements, including gaining permission to use the gates and farm tracks that link the high country properties, for this adventure.

Ryton Station is approximately 90 minutes' drive from Christchurch and a variety of accommodation is available at this high country location. The homestay units have been built to give maximum views of Lake Coleridge and the mountains framing it.

A midday arrival is recommended as this enables you to take advantage of the Ryton Station farm tour. The tour includes a short walk at the Pinnacles and exhilarating drives to the tops of nameless mountains where views of the Wilberforce and Harper Rivers meandering through the Alps are quite breathtaking.

Mt Somers is the destination and the trip takes a full day. The journey is slow and follows a track up the Rakaia River valley towards Mt Algidus, across the top of Lake Heron and then down the Ashburton River to Mt Somers.

A vehicle scarcely interrupts the peacefulness of the countryside. It is so small in the scheme of things. Majestic mountains, burbling clear blue rivers and the sheer size of uninterrupted views overwhelms one with a feeling of peace.

- Jan Wills

Mt Ruapehu

So, what is my most magical place? Mt Ruapehu. By day it's a seasonal delight of walking tracks, peaceful forests, delicate flowers, mosses, tumbling, rushing rivers, waterfalls, boardwalks through bogs, rocks of all shapes, colours, textures and sizes - feel the grandeur. My favourite track, the Taranaki Falls track, sets off behind the Chateau. Seven bridges with trolls on demand, cool beech forests, purple heather, hooded orchids on the climb down to the falls, the roar of clear water tumbling over the scarp, hiding behind the waterfall shivering in the icy mist - feel the raw power.

Winter Ruapehu is a marshmallow white blanket of the most amazing winter playground in your imagination - play in it, play on it, play with it, throw it, eat it, dive into it, slide on it - feel the excitement and the peace.

By night, a star-domed inkiness, dotted with the bright lights of lodges, moonlight reflecting off the snow-covered rocks, the craggy Meads Wall towering over my special rock. My rock. Half way to the top of the world. My rock, where dreams started.

Bleak Ruapehu, blizzards, storms, white-out, cutting wind, stinging snow, the seeping chill, cocooned in a warm inviting lodge, shielded from the weather, snug and safe with friends - hear the wrath outside, feel the inner warmth of comradeship.

- Helen Davis

Musick Point, Auckland

Musick Point is a magic place for picnicking and viewing Auckland's beautiful Hauraki Gulf.

Located at the end of the Bucklands Beach peninsula, in east Auckland, it is a great vantage point to see the magic of Rangitoto, Waiheke and the other islands on our doorstop.

Sitting under one of the many mature pohutukawa trees, enjoying a peaceful picnic on the grass is fantastic by itself. Add the marvellous cliff-top views of the sparkling waters surrounding the islands plus the constant boating activity and there is plenty to keep us amused when we are not eating, reading or dozing.

For the more energetic visitors there are also bush tracks and open spaces for informal cricket, soccer, etc.

After a magic picnic at Musick Point be sure to drive via peaceful Bucklands Beach and stop for an ice-cream while you stroll the beach and admire the dozens of beautiful yachts which are moored a mere stone's throw from the shore.

-Cheryl Clarke