The Cairns resort — superb rustic luxury

By Neville Idour

A few months ago we reviewed the somewhat iconic and unique nine hole Cairns golf course.

It proved to be a must play gem with it’s almost rustic and unmanicured natural appearance, unspoiled by any earthworks. However there is so much more, as the golf course is part of The Cairns Resort, the ultimate five star retreat in Tekapo in the Mackenzie Basin in Canterbury.

Golfer Pacific was invited to sample the delights with a two-night stay and it proved to be an utter delight. From the moment we arrived and being greeted by The Cairns general manager Andy Perry and his staff the feelings generated were of eager anticipation. Don’t expect any luxury check in building, just a rustic building in keeping with the whole experience plus a warm welcome.

We were shown to our lodge, Friday The Collie. Each lodge has the name of a character of the Mackenzie’s history.

Others included Lexis Lodge, James Mackenzie, the trail blazing settler, Billy Hamilton, the jet boat inventor, and Freda du Faur, the first woman to climb Mt Cook to name a few. Mt John Homestead provides accommodation for larger groups.

The exterior of our lodge is in keeping with the rustic feel but on entering, it is modern home luxury. The open plan kitchen, dining and lounge area is perfect and the two nice bedrooms are ideal for your group of four.

The wood-lined interiors give a cosy and homely feeling. The heating is great with a heat pump to complement the log burner. There is lots of firewood outside the door so even on the coldest nights you will be snug as a bug. Outside we also had the luxury of a stainless steel private hot tub. Bellissimo.

The property is quite unique for a so called resort. With several lodges, plus the Mt John Homestead, it is the perfect getaway for a couples’ romantic treat, a family or a larger group. The 110-year-old Mt John Homestead, full of Mackenzie character, has been refurbished to amplify that feel, with five bedrooms, several living areas, a private hot tub and a crackling fireplace. Add to all this the more recently constructed Bunker House provides high end luxury accommodation. All up The Cairns can accommodate about 50 guests at a time.

The Bunker house is situated away from the main resort on a sloping hill site with panoramic views. It is a remarkable concrete building buried in the slope. Tussock that is planted over the top of the house obscures it from above. It is so well camouflaged that a local town planner needed help to find it.

Caption: A map of the world on the walls of The Cairns Golf Club to show where visitors have come from.

The property is nice to wander around with one of the features being the farmyard and various animals. The ducks and Kune Kune pigs get on just fine. There are also rabbits and pet lambs and alpacas. Interaction with the various animals was great to watch for people of all ages. Nothing is out of place at The Cairns.

The Cairns is proudly owned and operated by the Simpson family — Andrew and Karen and their three children Ben, Amanda and Sam. The family has been farming Balmoral Station in Tekapo for three generations and came to the area when Andrew’s father was 17 years old.

In 1928 he answered an advertisement for a shepherd. The family cultivated the land, specialising in merino wool farming and with their undying love for the Tekapo region they have ridden through droughts, crippling snowfall and uncertain wool prices over the years. Through it all they love welcoming visitors to their home.

The word cairn comes from a Gaelic term meaning “heap of stones” and these small mounds of stones, which you might see on the golf course, have been used for thousands of years to show the way along trails. Scattered as these cairns are, throughout the Mackenzie area, the family has chosen the name and shape as it's emblem because they share the same purpose. Like a cairn showing you the way on a track their purpose is to show you the way to the Mackenzie. Once there the family promise guests an experience like no other.

Andrew Simpson said The Cairns continues to evolve in developing more options for people to enjoy. Having operated for many years he said they get lots of returning clients because they love the place. The versatility of the resort is evidenced by the wide range of events and group sizes it can cater for.

Because the family owns both Balmoral Station and Mt John Station, family members oversee various specialised experiences such as Mackenzie Alpine Horse Trekking while Go Tekapo offers guided fishing tours, hunting safaris, 4WD tours, guided hikes, guided mountain biking, guided Merino sheep farm experience and nightly Silver River stargazing tours.

Kune Kune pigs in the farmyard at The Cairns Golf Club in the Mackenzie Basin in Canterbury.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stargazing experience and were quite surprised at the numbers, which required two full van loads at three different times in the evening. Each group had it's own guide. With maximum groups of about 12 there was ample opportunities to use the telescopes. Our guide Sam was a fund of knowledge and with his laser pointer it was easy to see where to look skywards.

There is so much to enjoy in Tekapo with the hot pool complex always popular and the other tourist haunts. Unfortunately we didn’t find time for another round of golf at The Cairns but that will keep for a future time. Our two night stay was one to savour and appreciate.

A perusal of the visitors book in Friday The Collie was an eye opener as a majority of the comments were from overseas visitors and the world map on the wall in the check-in area revealed the amazing number of countries represented. The Cairns should be on a golfer's bucket list to stay and play. Don’t drive through Tekapo without checking out The Cairns.