Fancy kick starting the year in the lap of luxury?
A trip to Queenstown and a few nights at the aptly named Jagged Edge could be just the thing.
Sotheby's International Realty says for $5000 a night, plus $4000 for the guest house, visitors can experience the "wow factor" of a piece of architectural and engineering genius perched high above Lake Wakatipu near Queenstown.
Owned by the McPike family, and hidden from prying eyes by gates and a long approach road, Jagged Edge was the brainchild of Queenstown designer Warrick Weber.
Its minimalistic interior includes a grand piano, media room, a bar that emerges from the floor, an underground wine cellar cut into the schist rockface and a disappearing wall between the master bedroom and living space to make the most of 270-degree mountain and lake views. A heated infinity pool looks across to Walter and Cecil Peaks.
Completed in 2011, the structure's massive concrete roof is pinned into the rockface with 10 thick, tension cables.
Jagged Edge, which still has bookings available for January, has three bedrooms and the separate guest house below has an additional five, all with en suite and access to a pool, spa, gymnasium and sauna.
If the Jagged Edge experience feels a little too see-through, Matakauri Lodge Owner's Cottage, where Princess Kate and Prince William stayed during their New Zealand tour, is available from $12,000 a night.
The six-bedroomed Whare Kea Lodge on the shores of Lake Wanaka can be rented for $9500 a night. And Michael Hill's breathtaking Lodge at the Hills, at his private golf course near Arrowtown, will set guests back $20,000 a night.
Prices aren't quite so steep in the North Island where plenty of luxury properties are available for under $4000 a night, and still with space available at Christmas and over summer.
Waiheke Unlimited is offering Hurakia Lodge at Rakino, set on an 8ha headland with a 360-degree view of the Hauraki Gulf, from $3500 a night. It boasts a private jetty and helipad, a sauna, heated pool and spa pool, staff accommodation and use of a Sealegs amphibious boat.
Fossil Cove, at Park Point, Waiheke, a favourite hide-out for Lady Gaga, is set on a 5ha peninsula and has a 17m heated pool and helipad. The $3500-a-night property has been furnished in Pacific style with handwoven flax ceilings and a collection of artefacts on display.
Hei Matua at Cable Bay will set you back $3750 a night. Four main suites plus a bunkroom ensure plenty of room for a crowd. The beachfront lodge has an infinity pool, spa, outdoor fireplace and pizza oven.
Amazing Accom has a luxury five-bedroom villa at The Point, Lake Taupo, listed for $2195 a night. It comes with lake and bush views, a pool, tennis court and direct beach access.
In the Bay of Islands, a four-bedroom villa at Long Beach, Russell, will cost $2200 a night. It has a pool, a spa and looks out to sea and the bay below. In Kerikeri, the near-new, five-bedroom Otaha Beach Villa can be rented from $2500 a night. It has beachfront access and a mooring.
