Wellington - This is the luxury hideaway where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have taken Prince George to prepare for their three-week tour Down Under.
After a formal welcome to New Zealand, the family were whisked to Wharekauhau Lodge just outside Wellington where they are currently staying in a ‘cottage suite’ overlooking the thunderous surf of Palliser Bay. The residences, which normally cost £400 (about R 7 000) per person per night, boast every conceivable luxury, including heated marble floors, walk-in wardrobes and baths big enough to swim in.
Situated on a 5 000-acre farm in southern Wairarapa, which means “land of glistening waters”, the lodge is regularly named among the world’s top 20 resort hideaways.
It began life as a sheep station in the 1840s and remains a working station to this day – albeit one of the grandest in the country and better known now for its spectacular views, fabulous cuisine and local wines.
The Duke and Duchess’s official residence during their ten days in New Zealand is Government House in Wellington, the official residence of the Queen’s representative in the country, Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae. But royal aides felt that the family would need time to get over their jet lag before their first official duty. - Daily Mail