The ultimate wilderness lodge

When it comes to fishing, I love the idea of throwing a line into the water and enjoying the serenity of the wait. The problem is that I'm such a terrible softie, I can't even bring myself to kill a cockroach, let alone a fish. So when I find myself reeling in a four and a half pound, 40 centimetre long rainbow trout in New Zealand's Lake Taupo, I feel somewhat compromised.

But it's too late. Everyone is excited about the prospect of having freshly caught fish for dinner back at the lodge that night. And besides, Lake Taupo is known as one of the world's best lakes for rainbow trout fishing.

So, standing at the rear of the luxury cruiser where our big black rods are nestled in their rod holders, I tentatively reel the line in. A few minutes later and a large rainbow trout with reflective spotted skin is squirming inside a bucket – at which I point I hastily retreat inside the cruiser to let the hosts of our chartered boat trip do the dirty work.
Returning to Huka Lodge is understandably a heightened experience for me, but especially so given that we're travelling back in a helicopter, swooping over Lake Taupo and Huka Falls, as well as geothermal gems like the Craters of the Moon.

Back at the lodge, executive chef Michel Louws – who is Dutch-born and Michelin-starred – is in raptures over the catch. It's indeed a beauty. There's a lengthy discussion about how to prepare it. Would I like it as sashimi, tartare, hot smoked, cold smoked, BBQ smoked, slow-cooked or grilled? There's also the option of having it done more than one way. I suggest a bit of sashimi and whatever else Michel wants to do, leaving it in his capable hands.
Perusing the seven-course degustation menu that evening as we sit around the table in the Trophy Room, one of 20 or so private dining venues available at Huka Lodge, I notice an unusual acronym for one of the items – CCTT.

It stands for Carrie's Caught Taupo Trout. Michel has cooked the fish in three different ways: as sashimi with soy, ginger and wasabi; as a slow-cooked fillet with smoked beetroot; and pan-fried with a lemon dressing and capers. It's a memorable moment – not to mention a satisfying experience for my overexcited taste buds.

And the Trophy Room, located upstairs in the main lodge, is a fitting place in which to enjoy such fine fare. As well as the wonderfully big dining table where we sit, there's a lounge area with a roaring fire, above which an enormous mounted buffalo head is flanked on either side by mounted deer heads. Other private dining venues at Huka include the wine cellar (an underground chamber lined with noteworthy vintages), the jetty pavilion (on the banks of the Waikato River) and the Owner's Cottage (with your own personal chef).

Every meal I consume here is a gastronomic masterpiece and each is accompanied by the finest quality New Zealand wines, of course.

This is a place with a history – dating back to the 1920s, in fact, when Irishman Alan Pye discovered the incredible fly fishing on the reaches of the Waikato River and realised his dream to build a fishing lodge. Before long, the fame of Huka Lodge had spread to every corner of the fly fishing world.

As its reputation grew, the lodge attracted royalty and celebrities with a penchant for angling. In 1984, the present owner Alex van Heeren revamped the property to make it the luxury retreat that it is today. Famous guests include the Queen, Bill Gates and Kate Winslet.

But for somewhere that draws the big names, this place is also refreshingly down-to-earth and relaxed. The property's hosts – general manager Louis and assistant lodge manager Rudy – enjoy a chat with guests during evening drinks by the log fire in the lodge room and are keen to assist in any way. Huka Lodge somehow manages to combine that warm, cosy feel with sheer sophistication and charm.

And then there's the accommodation – my Junior Lodge Suite is spacious, to say the least. There's a comfortable, harmonious feel to the room, with its rustic furnishings, soft lighting and mesmerising views of the river through the floor to ceiling glass doors. A large dressing room, a coffee machine, freshly made biscuits, a bath with towel rails sporting old school silver claws – I'm hooked.

There are always a few particular memories that stand out from a great trip; mine include catching a ripper of a rainbow trout and having it appear on the menu that night. But another one, seemingly ordinary, also stays with me. It's a simple memory of walking from my suite back to the main lodge one evening, happily ensconced in all my winter woollies, and noticing the sound of bagpipes in the distance.

A Scotsman by the name of Don is employed to stroll around the property's expansive grounds every Saturday night, dressed in the full garb and playing to his heart's content. The crispness of the air, the stirring Scottish melodies and the inviting sight of a roaring fire in the lodge room, where people are gathered for pre-dinner drinks, is an evocative memory indeed.

The writer travelled courtesy of Huka Lodge and Air New Zealand

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