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MO OSE LOD G E MAG IC WORDS LIZ FRENCH | IMAGES BRYDIE THOMPSON
The gasp-inducing view from Moose Lodge will be your first highlight. The second will be the friendly kiwi hospitality in surroundings steeped in nature and history. It was Shirley Chan’s experience as a guest which prompted her family to become the fifth owners of Moose Lodge in over a century. She loved the setting and panorama, “the sheer spread of lake and bush and hillside, the lodge snuggled into the trees overlooking it all”. However, it was the experience of genuine relaxed personal Kiwi hospitality and a showcase of excellent New Zealand wine and produce in what felt like a large and
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gracious home that really struck a chord. “I was determined that, as custodians of Moose Lodge, we would create a similar experience for our guests.” Shirley, Bevin and the team who have nurtured Moose Lodge for 20 years, focus on providing a service that is personal, involving and sensitive to guests’ individual needs, whether a wedding for 200 or a couple celebrating an anniversary “we prefer to tailor functions to the requirements of each client,” says Shirley, referring to wedding parties where the groomsmen play billiards while the bride and her maids sip champagne as they are pampered in the beauty room. “A wedding planner pointed out that Moose Lodge is one of few places that can host large groups inside; an advantage for winter weddings and functions.”