Rain or shine, a trip to the Kinloch region thrills the senses and feeds the soul, Pam Jones discovers.
A quilt of pre-winter snow topped the mountains, and sheets of rain had brought us here earlier than planned.
An unexpected palette of silver-grey and white provided a wet welcome instead of the wished-for warm and dry blue, but all was forgiven in the warmth of our eventual destination.
Winter might have modified our weekend getaway, but it reminded also of the thrills of this crispest of seasons. And hot food and a warm tub can fix most things. The clouds delivered teasingly shiny linings.
Kinloch Lodge provides many things, not least of all an opportunity for reflection on good fortune from a steaming, hill-side oasis.
A misty sky finally clears as we sink into a toe-curlingly hot outdoor tub, perched above the historic lodge and its tentacle of cabin rooms.
The promise of winter (although in fact it's still a week away) pulls at our cheeks as we nod respectfully at the mountain ranges edging Lake Wakatipu.
Far from creating a melancholy air, the cold snaps our senses awake and lifts our spirits at the prospect of a spine-tingling season.
We'd arrived at Kinloch early after postponing a trip on the Dart River into Paradise for a drier time, and would later reschedule walking the beginning of the Routeburn Track for similar reasons.
But there had been much to warm our souls along the way.
We'd already soaked up the sights of cute, old-fashioned landmarks in Glenorchy, admiring the old Glenorchy wharfside ''red shed'' and the tiny Glenorchy library.
But where better to shelter from the storm than in the Glenorchy Hotel?
We enjoy a hot meal by an open fire before lingering over a few rounds of pool while we consider our rainy day options.
The 46km drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy provides jaw-dropping scenery that makes it a popular trip for many.
But following the extra 26km of road less travelled around the head of the lake to Kinloch is the icing on the cake and an add-on that turns into a holiday getaway in its own right.
Kinloch, like Glenorchy, was initially a meeting or resting place for early Maori travelling from the West Coast to the head of Lake Wakatipu in search of pounamu.
Later, the first pioneer farmers came from Europe, prospectors arrived looking for gold and scheelite and a busy timber milling industry was established.
In 1870, a hotel was established at Kinloch by Richard C. Bryant, one of the first tourist operators in the region.
TSS Earnslaw took travellers there until a bridge was built across the Dart River in about 1970.
Now, parts of that hotel remain as the much-loved Kinloch Lodge, tended proudly by John and Toni Glover.
Toni says they are aiming to deliver an intelligent, thoughtful and fun experience for guests and we find the atmosphere to be all three, complete with some personal touches.
A hot-water bottle sits on each of the lodge's beds and rooms are named after native birds - our family slumbers that night in tributes to kaka and kakariki.
The tucked-away nature of the Kinloch region creates feelings of remoteness, wilderness, exclusivity and privilege.
Part of the lodge complex is officially the Kinloch/Glenorchy YHA, but it feels like a luxury retreat to us.
Only a few kilometres away from the fabled Paradise region, Kinloch is also a hub for several of New Zealand's great walks.
In summer, the lodge is filled with people walking the nearby Routeburn, Greenstone and Rees-Dart tracks.
In winter, it's a well-kept shoulder-season secret, perfect for an escape to commune with nature, your travelling companion or your own thoughts.
John - also the chef of the lodge's living-room-sized restaurant and bar - feeds us well with both a bountiful breakfast and a sophisticated platter the night before.
We start with spicy mulled wine and then sample several items from the lodge's changing seasonal menus, including home-cured salmon with beetroot salsa, a stylish smoked mackerel pie, a sticky beef stew with home-baked bread, a rustic pulled merino and feta salad and a tasty rabbit terrine.
It's well-considered, perfectly put-together cuisine. The lodge features frequently in Trip Advisor awards and the Lonely Planet book but I think it should be a ''destination restaurant'' as well.
In the self-catering kitchen area giant topographical maps are varnished into table tops and encourage a planning session for our next trip to the region.
We haven't been disappointed by the weather, in fact it's been fun; we even wish we'd been snowed in and forced to stay another night.
Driving home I reflect on the ''four seasons in one day'' nature of parts of our region and the wonder of the breathtaking colours and moods it creates.
As warmth folds around me by another fire back at home, I find this gem from American naturalist and essayist John Burroughs (1837-1921) that strengthens my conviction:
''In winter the stars seem to have rekindled their fires, the moon achieves a fuller triumph, and the heavens wear a look of a more exalted simplicity ... The simplicity of winter has a deep moral. The return of Nature, after such a career of splendor and prodigality, to habits so simple and austere, is not lost either upon the head or the heart. It is the philosopher coming back from the banquet and the wine to a cup of water and a crust of bread.''
• Pam Jones is an Allied Press journalist.
