The Lodge Insider: June 2024

The following is an excerpt from our seasonal newsletter, the Lodge Insider, where we share exclusive updates, stories, and recipes. Our community received the full letter with access to an exclusive recipe on June 1st. Subscribe in the footer below to join this community for future letters. 

Winter at Flockhill

The excuse for a nightly fire is finally here! Winter has arrived at Flockhill which means we have another season full of updates for you. Get cozy if you’re also tuning in from the Southern Hemisphere and for those of you just welcoming in Summer- no better time to start planning your winter escape.

Before we get into life on the Station, we’re giving away a luxurious two-night stay in a Deluxe Suite. To celebrate our new developments, we’ll be drawing the winner’s name from our newsletter subscriber list. You can read our terms and conditions here and subscribe, if you haven’t already, in the footer below.

Let’s start with everyone’s favourite part…

In each newsletter, Sugarloaf's head chef, Taylor Cullen, shares a recipe for the season exclusive to the Lodge Insider community. We love seeing your versions, so keep tagging us in your Instagram stories! This time, Taylor is sharing one of his favourite ways to keep fruit flavours alive in his food through winter. For access to this and more exclusives, be sure you're subscribed to our newsletter.

Restaurant construction is nearing completion. Our friends at Treology have crafted beautiful dining tables for us, the blacksmiths at Flaxton Iron custom-built a smoker for our grill, and our neighbour over at Red Lion Workshop has built a beautiful pergola to dine under during summer garden lunches. We are thrilled to be surrounded by so many talented artisans in New Zealand and Sugarloaf will be an amalgamation of their work.

If you would like to see more restaurant-related content, be sure to follow Sugarloaf on Instagram as well.

Matariki – the Pleiades star cluster will rise in New Zealand skies towards the end of June. In Māori culture, the rising marks the beginning of the new year in the lunar calendar and will be celebrated nationwide this year on the 28th of June. As the sky darkens and the stars brighten, Flockhill becomes a wonderful location for stargazing. We’re often out, looking up at the night sky but the winter sky is unique. 

In May, one of our team members captured these beautiful photos of the Aurora Australis appearing out behind the Homestead. We’re eager to see what else is captured during Matariki this year.

It’s been wonderful to see the excitement build around the Villas. We’re going to have a full festive season here at Flockhill but it’s not too late to get in first. We have availability leading up to the holidays for lucky guests that will be among the first to experience our refined wilderness. If you can’t wait for December, the Homestead is of course open. We’ve been having a wonderful time with guests through the Autumn, providing an exclusive first look at the new experiences we have to offer.

If you would like to receive full newsletters including exclusive content in the future, you can subscribe to the Lodge Insider below.