Place of the setting sun

SUE HOFFART finds luxury and tranquillity at a stylish lodge on the West Coast.

Asplash of locally brewed Monteiths beer is the secret ingredient in Trixie Montagu's light, tasty whitebait fritters, served with lemon wedges.

The secret ingredient for Kapitea Ridge Lodge, which she runs with husband Murray, is an enthusiasm for giving her visitors what they want.

Formerly manager of Hokitika's visitor information centre, Trixie spent a decade finding out what tourists want and gathering an encyclopaedic knowledge of the area. She knows how to care for guests, where to go for locally produced buffalo meat and Italian breadsticks, and where to find the best local artists.

Murray is a quietly spoken civil marriage celebrant, electrician and former ambulance volunteer who now facilitates first-aid courses and plays a euphonium in the municipal band. He also has excellent local knowledge and speaks Maori, having spent 10 years learning the language and working for the Poverty Bay Electric Power Board in Ruatoria. The couple ventured into the accommodation business six years ago.

We head their way via Hokitika. With its feet at the Tasman Sea's pebbly shores and its back to the Southern Alps, this is a pretty town on a sunny day. Even on a rotten one, bellies may be warmed at pubs and cafes - we liked Cafe de Paris - and there are high-quality local crafts amidst the greenstone knick-knacks and rimu coasters.

Hardcore rafters take a helicopter from here to renowned whitewater rivers, and gentler folk take a paddleboat ride on Lake Mahinapua. The town's greatest latter-day claim to fame is the annual Hokitika Wildfoods Festival, involving consumption of the bizarre, the delicious and the downright scary, together with much music and frivolity.

We are looking for something more serene when we veer off the coastal highway and pass through Kapitea's impressive stone gates. By this time, the region's famous liquid sunshine has begun to lash the property and obscure what is obviously a million-dollar sunset view.

Inside, the fire is roaring and the generous use of native timber and antique glass adds warmth to the modern guest lounge with its bright, local artwork - much of which is for sale - chocolates and dried fruit on the dresser, and the guitar for visitors' use.

Our second-storey bedroom, aptly named Tasman, is bedecked in blue and green, with lime mohair rugs furled on the king bed, a vase of fresh daffodils and original art by former West Coaster Sally Pascoe. There is a curved, blue ceiling, a rounded, private balcony facing the sea and the window is shaped like a large wedge of pizza (the curtain is a major feat of engineering).

We can see the impressive stone outdoor entertaining area where guests like to toast marshmallows, and a garden that is surprisingly lush for such an exposed, salty site. We discover extra towels, lovely cotton robes and an ensuite bathroom with underfloor heating and a curving band of paua shells cut into the white wall tiles.

Thanks to a series of restaurant meals and three days of travelling, we are unable to face a proper dinner but Trixie produces the perfect solution: a glass of wine and a platter of breads and cheese, homemade capsicum and chilli jelly and locally smoked ling.

Murray's gift for storytelling emerges over breakfast in the conservatory. He recounts his family connections to the land - which date back three generations - and describes how he and Trixie had their wedding bands crafted with gold dredged from the creek that borders their property. He also explains why they borrowed the creek's Maori name, Kapitea, for their lodge - the varied translations include "place of the setting sun" and "completion of the day's journey".

And on clear nights, Trixie claims, the absence of light pollution means the stars are so clear "it seems you could pluck them out of the sky".

* Sue Hoffart was a guest of Kapitea Ridge Lodge.

CONTACT DETAILS

Trixie and Murray Montagu, Kapitea Ridge, Chesterfield Road, SH6, Kapitea Creek, RD2, Hokitika; ph (03) 755-6805, fax (03) 755-6895

Email: stay@kapitea.co.nz

TARIFF

Ranges from $250-$500/double, for bed and breakfast. See the website for reservation details and online bookings

A three-course evening meal is $60 a person and should be booked at least a day in advance. The Montagus also stock a good range of New Zealand wine.

There is a special offer for New Zealand Herald readers: two nights' accommodation and full breakfast, with a complimentary bottle of bubbly in the hot tub and guided eco tour for $500 double.

GETTING THERE

Kapitea Ridge is an easy, 20-minute drive to both Hokitika (for Air New Zealand Link flights) and Greymouth (for the Trans Alpine Express train). By road, Christchurch is three hours via State Highway 73, the glaciers are two hours away and Punakaiki is a spectacular, one-hour drive north.

LOCAL INFORMATION

Westland visitor information office, The Carnegie Building, Hokitika, ph (03) 755 6166, fax (03) 755 5011

Email: hkkvin@xtra.co.nz

Cafe de Paris is at 19 Tancred St, ph (03) 755 8933