Mangapapa Lodge by John Borthwick

Mangapapa Lodge has three unmistakably imperial acres of grounds. A century-old mansion in dress whites, surrounded by gardens, orchards and a fountain does not bother to express its domain in anything as bland as hectares. In the heart of Hawke's Bay, the oldest wine growing region in New Zealand, Mangapapa was once the home of George Sunderland, Master of the Hawke's Bay Hunt. Much later this very large, very elegant, two-storey timber home was owned by a barrow man of a fairly superior kind, Sir James Wattie, fruit and vegetable tycoon. In 1994, Mangapapa was completely restored and its accommodation fitted out to luxury standards, including en suite bathrooms, under-floor heating and sultan-size beds.

Here is the chance to luxuriate in a manor to which you might wish you were born. Each of the nine suites is individually designed and bears a European theme, Austrian, French, Provincial Spanish and so on. The Euro-kitsch pitfalls inherent in this approach have been mostly avoided. A maximum of 18 guests discretely inhabits a choice of luxury executive suites (with bath and lounge room), cottage suites (with shower and lounge room) or lodge rooms (with shower). Rugs, robes, deep sofas and sun terraces can do a good job of keeping you close to your quarters, but if you roam, there's lawn tennis, a heated pool, an orchard full of windfall apples and, allegedly, an intriguing antipodean diversion called bush croquet.

The staff are adept, friendly and attentive, never servile. They'll carry your bag, serve you well and even have time for intelligent conversation, but if you seek forelock tuggers, seek elsewhere. Children are accepted by special arrangement only. Also, late night ragers or those seeking plenty of company may not find too much of same.

Mangapapa is no place for the calorie anxious. The menu changes regularly, but here is a typical taste: entrée of peppered baked ricotta with Peking duck breast and sweet soy sauce, followed by home-made sorbet, then a main of seared tuna on sesame glazed udon noodles with oriental stirfry. Dessert might be a pinacolada ice cream tower with coconut wafer and poached apricot. To complement this is a wide range of wines - go for the locals, such as Trinity Hill. While working your way through all this, don't dare think about what awaits you tomorrow - a jumbo offering billed rather too modestly as "a hearty country breakfast".

Use Mangapapa Lodge as your base for excursions around Hawke's Bay. The art deco streets of Napier city centre are a must, starting with a visit to the Art Deco Trust (163 Tennyson Street). There are acres of pastels and a melange of motifs, from Egyptian to Maori; on the seafront, don't miss the elegant Dome Building. Cape Kidnappers, a dramatic promontory 25 km south of Napier hosts the largest mainland nesting place of gannets in the world. October to April each year sees thousands of visitors make the Cape pilgrimage, either on tractor-drawn trailers or four-wheel drive "quad bikes".