New Zealand: Westhaven

From Nelson, we headed to Westhaven Retreat at Golden Bay, where we lodged for the next three nights. The helicopter ride there was about an hour long and the views there were breathtaking! All my pictures are, of course, from the helicopter window, so they aren't great. But picture the greenest hills you have ever seen, dotted with sweet little villages full of country cottages, white sheep grazing the meadows and snow capped mountains for a backdrop. New Zealand represents some of God's finest work...







The lodge itself is hidden away in the rolling hills right on the bank of the prettiest beaches I have ever seen! There were balconies off every room with views to kill and big dinning room where we all gathered to drink little cups of hot tea by the fire. Upstairs, I found a tiny little corner overlooking the mountains where I spent time reading and savoring the luxury of quite. This little gem of a retreat was fresh air for my soul.


These cute little signs outside our door greeted us...


The view from the balcony... I'm telling you, the ONLY reason I came home was because of my kids!


We spent alot of time in the hot tub and pool

The food here was prepared by Chef Claus. It was all so good. In fact, I think he served me the best meal I have ever eaten our second night for dinner. It was salmon... that was caught the morning before. This particular area is know to have the best salmon in the world. It was! I didn't get a picture of that meal, but here are some other dishes we were served...







Our first full day at the lodge was Fourth of July. I represented the great USA in my lovely shades :) See that little helicopter in the background, it was headed our way to pick us up. We spent the morning touring the film location of The Lord of Rings movies. It was pretty awesome! It took 3 helicopters to get us all there and they literally landed on the top of the huge rocky, snowy Mount Olympus.








This is the hand rock that was in a scene of the first movie




This was the rock that the Hobbits hid under during the scene where all the crows come flying trough the air




This is my husband who gave me a heart attack by climbing way up there

From here, we landed on the banks of the Tasman Sea. This little bay was amazing. There were little caves all along the beach and not a soul in sight!














Some sea plant creature thingy that I thought looked like an ogore hat :)



Our first day at Westhaven was a blast! I will finish up the rest of our time here tomorrow...