Luxury Accommodation in New Zealand

Two recent Suite101 stories were about luxury accommodation in New Zealand. Treetops Lodge and Estate is a perfect getaway break for a holiday, honeymoon or romantic escape and the ideal venue for a wedding with a difference. John Sax, who spent years developing Treetops, fulfilled his dream of creating a luxurious sanctuary surrounded by a 2,500-acre wilderness estate. Close to Rotorua in New Zealand's North Island, guests can enjoy a multitude of experiences from soaking in spas, to Maori culture, fishing and hunting. Stories about luxury retreats are lovely to write about... read more

Romance Writers and Psycho-Drama

On Saturday I made the two-hour trip to Piopio for the October meeting of our romance writers group (pic is Lake Whakamaru where I made a quick stop to take some photos). We met at a cafe called the Fat Pigeon for lunch then moved on to Jenny's home for a most enlightening afternoon. Our guest speaker was a psycho-drama specialist, Ana Namu. Ana demonstrated how we could use psycho-dramatic techniques to explore characterisation. It was a fascinating session. Actually putting oneself physically in the place of your characters, speaking aloud to them and responding likewise seemed to bring those elusive beings out of hiding. A marvellous way to challenge both writer and character to dig a little deeper and find solutions that might not be apparent when quietly thinking in front of the laptop.

The drive to Piopio along State Highway 30 was lovely. Late spring, the countryside glowingly green, old fruit trees with tangled branches growing by the roadside, spectacular views at the top of steep inclines, dips into quiet little valleys. Made me appreciate again how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful country.