'We Weren't Hut People'

摘要

Tom W. Tusher was in new zealand for Levi Strauss, scouting retail space, when he stumbled on a spot ideal for hauling in 10-pound brown trout. The 55-acre South Island parcel sat on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, whose waters come from glacial-melt rivers originating in Fiordland National Park. For a fly fisherman like Tusher there could be no finer place on earth. When he and his wife, Pauline, bought the land, it was with their own retirement in mind. They'd erect a modest shack and use the property a month each year to fish, ride horses and read. "But then," says Tusher, "we decided we weren't hut people." The couple's vision for the place grew, and today they own a small but impeccable luxury resort, set amid scenery so captivating that director Peter Jackson shot most of his Lord of the Rings trilogy within a 20-mile radius. Named Blanket Bay (after the blankets used by sheep shearers here in the 19th century to keep wool dry), the resort is the type of luxe but rough-hewn lodge one might expect to find in the Adirondacks or at Lake Tahoe. Not yet five years old, it's already a favorite with such celebs as Ian McKellen. Ford, Toyota and Honda rent the lodge off-season as a perk for people who move a lot of cars.