Christchurch couple has change of fortune in Lake Wanaka

A Christchurch couple who were made homeless by the recent fatal earthquake had a turn of fortune this week as winners of a competition run by celebrity chef Annabel Langbein and Lake Wanaka Tourism.

Nicky, a special needs teacher, and Geoff Holland, a roading engineer, won a week’s luxury food and wine tour in the spectacular lakeside town and surrounding region. The couple are from Bexley, one of the worst hit suburbs of Christchurch, and are currently living in a campervan in their garden. It is still uncertain if they will be able to rebuild due to the massive polluted liquefaction that has covered the area.

During their stay in Lake Wanaka, the couple stayed at the luxurious Tiritiri Lodge and enjoyed scenic flights over the spectacular Mt Aspiring National Park, in an original Tiger Moth aircraft, reliving the romance and nostalgia of yesteryear. They also dined at the many outstanding restaurants in the region, including the historic Cardrona and Luggate Hotels and tasted wine at Ripon Vineyard, in what is arguably the world’s most spectacular setting for a vineyard on the shores of Lake Wanaka.

As well as eating and drinking, the Holland’s enjoyed a lake cruise to Mou Waho Island. Lying close to the centre of Lake Wanaka is Mou Waho Island Nature Reserve. A unique glacial remnant of the last ice age, the island is also the historic site of early shipbuilding and used to be a stopping place for the steamers and log rafts that once plied the lake. With jet boating and walks in the peaceful setting of Mt Aspiring National Park, the hardships of life in Christchurch seemed a long way away during their six-day stay.

“The whole trip was utterly amazing, people have been so kind, generous and friendly,” said Nicky Holland. “Everyone went out of their way to make us feel at home and comfortable. We never realised how much there was to do in Wanaka and we’ll definitely be back! The food was amazing. Going in the helicopter was fantastic; you felt as if you could touch the mountains they were so close! The trip was a whole series of highlights.”

Nicky said the trip helped them come to terms with what had happened to their lives in Christchurch and plan how they were going to deal with it.

“Going to Wanaka took us those three steps away, once we’d calmed down and started to relax a little we could sit down and rationally think about what we had to do. It gave us breathing space and we drew up a to-do list to try and get our lives back to some semblance of normality. That is something we wouldn’t have been capable of doing, staying where we were. But, life will go on, it just won’t be quite the same as before.”

Ironically all of Nicky’s cookbooks were lost in the earthquake, swallowed by the putrid liquefaction, including the one that won her the competition. Annabel Langbein has promised to replace it so once she has a kitchen to return to, she can start cooking up a storm again!

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