Rob McFarland – Travel Writer

Ipipiri cruising the Bay of Islands - photo by Rob McFarland

New Zealand is hardly short of picturesque holiday spots but the Bay of Islands, located three hours’ drive north of Auckland, is particularly idyllic. The natural bay provides a sheltered haven for boat lovers with dozens of islands to explore and plenty of coves and inlets in which to moor.

Looking at this tranquil picture today, it’s hard to believe it was once known as the “hell hole of the Pacific”. But if you’d visited the town of Russell in the early 1800s, you’d have found a lawless outpost famous for its drunkenness, gambling and prostitution. Sadly, I couldn’t find any evidence of this but I did stumble across a fascinating museum and several excellent cafes.

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Mollies' dining room

In the genteel Auckland suburb of St Marys Bay, Mollies is the most unashamedly romantic hotel I have ever stayed in. I was there on my own and had to constantly fight the urge to propose to one of the staff.

The hotel is named after the current owner’s mother, who ran it first as a guesthouse and then as a motel.

When Frances and her husband, Stephen, took over in 2001, it was in desperate need of modernisation. They pulled up the ’70s-style cream shagpile carpets, tore down the fake mahogany panelling and threw out the burnt orange and avocado furnishings. Eighteen months and a lot of work later, the hotel reopened as Mollies and has been collecting awards worldwide ever since.

Frances tells us this potted history over pre-dinner drinks in the sitting room where guests congregate among a sea of flickering candles and billowing silk drapes.

It is a beautiful room with polished wooden floors, an imposing marble fireplace and an eclectic range of furnishings including Philippe Starck’s famous transparent Louis Ghost chairs. She makes no apologies for the extravagance, saying with a smile: “I like to make every evening a romantic occasion. I love having far too many candles and far too many flowers.”

It’s a wonderfully relaxed and intimate environment and a great opportunity to mingle with other guests.

The best is yet to come, however. Frances is an experienced opera voice coach who has taught all over the world. She introduces us to Morag Atchison, an opera singer with New Zealand’s national opera company, and an expectant hush descends over the room.

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Dinner in Huka Lodge's Wine Cellar - photo by Rob McFarland

It’s not quite the first impression I had hoped to make. Not only do we pull up at the reception of one of the world’s leading resorts in a dented rented Daewoo but two minutes after our arrival the manager comes to tell us they are experiencing what he amusingly describes as a small challenge.

The keys are locked inside the car and did we have a spare set? I sheepishly shake my head. Do not worry, he says, we will take care of it.

Ten minutes later the car is in the car park and our luggage is in our room. Later we discover that the Automobile Association has been called in but no one makes a big deal about it and we are made to feel as if this is the sort of trivial incident they encounter on an hourly basis

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