Tasman a real tonic

I had almost packed my overnight bag for a weekend away when the phone rang. "Hullo? Veektorya? Eet's Franz 'ere," the rather-appealing Austrian accent came cheerfully down the line. "I'm wanting to know what I should make for your dinner tonight. Is zere something you are liking very much?"

This seems a great start - a warm welcome before I've even set out.

Franz Lieber - the manager of Kina Colada, a boutique lodge in Tasman, Nelson - is also the resident chef, an enthusiast for local produce, and only too pleased to cook to order.

I assure him that anything would be just lovely. He suggests "a nice little rack of lamb". Good choice.

Franz is an award-winning chef who has spent the past 25 years creating thousands of gourmet meals from the kitchens of establishments such as the former Hyatt in Queenstown, the Mt Cook Hermitage Hotel, Chateau on the Park in Christchurch and Chateau Tongariro.

With his wife, Christine, he also set up and ran bakeries in Arrowtown, and later in Mosgiel, that had queues trailing out the door waiting to buy gourmet pies, fine breads and pastries.

His career in cuisine in New Zealand began 25 years ago when the former Tourist Hotel Corporation brought European chefs to New Zealand to staff its kitchens. It plucked young chef Franz Lieber out of a hotel in Holland.

"We were contracted for two years," recalls Franz. "You agreed to stay in New Zealand two years and your fare would be paid for you if you decided to go home.

"I couldn't speak a word of English back then, but it was okay because the menus were all written in French, so I could get by."

His skills made it easy for him to find work at top hotels - and also led to marriage.

"I was setting up a BYO restaurant with a girlfriend," Christine Lieber says. "We needed a chef. I had heard about this Austrian chef Franz, so I went to steal him away from where he was working to come and work for us."

The Liebers have been managing Kina Colada Lodge, owned by a resident of nearby Ruby Bay, since November last year.

Set on 8ha overlooking the ocean, Kina Colada is a sprawling nine-bedroom Mediterranean-style home, all white solid plaster and earthy terracotta tiles against the green of native bush.

Four of the bedrooms are within large private suites, with a tiled ensuite, under-floor heating, and a sitting room with dining table and television. There's also a kitchenette.

Each suite has stunning picture-window views of the extensive lawns, native bush and the sea.

If you like to see and hear native birds then it's worth winding down the windows when you travel up the 600m driveway that meanders through bush to Kina Colada.

Birdsong is the only sound that will wake you in the morning, too - aside from a soft door-knock when your breakfast arrives.

Don't be disconcerted by the poached egg that seems to be levitating above the plate. Just peep underneath and you'll find a double-layer of bacon.

If you can manage it, there'll be a choice of cereals, nutty toast and spreads and fresh juice.

It's just as well the food is delicious and plentiful because the choice of day-trips is extensive and guaranteed to send you back ravenous at the end of the day.

The big advantage in the location is that most of the memorable destinations are just a half-hour drive away.

Abel Tasman National Park is only 30 minutes away, by way of the town of Motueka. A similar distance away is Kahurangi National Park.

A journey over the beautiful Takaka Hill to the Golden Bay region is well worth it. Here you will find a wealth of potters, painters and sculptors, pristine beaches, and attractions such as Anatoki Salmon, where you can catch your own freshwater dinner (for Franz to cook), or travel to one of the longest natural sandbars in the world, Farewell Spit - the tip of the South Island - which has been a bird sanctuary since 1930.

The Golden Bay area also has an abundance of cafes with local art for sale on the walls, and home-grown organic foods.

A popular day-trip for all ages is kayaking off Kaiteriteri Beach, with its remarkably golden sand.

These adventures, described by one tour operator as "paradise with a dash of adrenalin", can be on your own or with a guide. And they can be anything from a few hours to several days.

Day-long trips include one that takes you swimming with the seals.

You can choose the beach where you land, depending on whether you'd like a four-hour walk in the national park or a shorter journey home.

Everything that can be done on or under the water is available along this coastline - swimming, diving, kayaking, boating in catamarans, little yachts and launches, and trips in nippy water-taxis that allow you to avoid road travel completely.

You can even reach Nelson from the National Park without going near a landing strip.

Nelson and nearby Richmond make up the country's 10th most-populous city - and it's one big art gallery.

Just about every cafe is a mini-gallery. One city store, Taylor's Shoes, is quite used to people coming in to see the latest exhibition rather than buy shoes.

Nelson is also home to the World of Wearable Arts gallery, a classic car museum and the Hoglund Art Glass Gallery.

And the superb annual events include Hooked on Seafood, the Nelson Arts Festival, the Nelson Summer Kite Festival and the Summer Festival at Christmas and New Year.

In every direction from Tasman or Nelson City are vineyards..

If you're staying at Kina Colada and feel like just a 10-minute drive, beautiful beach, restaurants and galleries can be found at Ruby Bay, and Mapua, another art-rich settlement where even the hairdressing business doubles as an art gallery.

Even closer is a stunningly beautiful nine-hole golf course on the Kina Peninsula.

The grounds at Kina Colada Lodge include native bush walks, access to the beach, a lookout platform on the cliff's edge, and a swimming pool.

No matter how strenuous or busy your days are in the region, Kina Colada has a bonus attraction to lure you back at the day's end: masseuse and beauty therapist Susanne May James' on-site spa includes a steam-room and a dry-sauna.

She tutors beauty therapy in Nelson when she is not at Kina Colada pampering guests with facials, manicures and pedicures and easing aches and pains.

James has a wide range of treatments at her command and these include special scalp massages and massages that help the circulation.

I left Kina Colada for home fresh from an hour's untangling of back muscles, courtesy of Susanne, and having eaten one of Franz' perfect breakfasts.

By the way, that rack of lamb was superb.

* Victoria Bartle was hosted by Kina Colada.





WHERE TO FIND IT

Kina Colada is 2km off State Highway 60, about 35 minutes by car from Nelson.

RATES

There's a special deal for a winter retreat to Kina Colada if bookings are paid before December 31. Based on two people sharing a room, the cost is $419 a person for two nights in a studio room, with breakfasts and two-course dinners and a bottle of wine. You will also get one of Susanne May James' massages, plus the chance to explore the region with three days' rental car hire.

This package is available only through House of Travel, freephone 0800 838 747.

FOOD

Franz Lieber will readily cater to order, including vegetarian dishes and special dietary requirements.

CONTACTS

Kina Colada call Franz and Christine Lieber on (03) 526 6700; email info@kinacolada.co.nz

For information on the region, go to Nelson NZ and Seal Swim.