Great Barrier Island: A million miles from real life, but close to paradise

Great Barrier Island: remote, beautiful, almost deserted. This is a place that still offers to send letters to the mainland via "pigeongram" as a viable alternative to the normal postal system. Imagine the most romantic sweep of beach – not the picture postcards of the Caribbean, all raked white sand and angled palm trees – but grand sand dunes the size of 100 football pitches, surrounded by green bush, steep, rolling hills, and piercing blue seas. That's Barrier, all 285 square miles of it.

Great Barrier Island: remote, beautiful, almost deserted. This is a place that still offers to send letters to the mainland via "pigeongram" as a viable alternative to the normal postal system. Imagine the most romantic sweep of beach – not the picture postcards of the Caribbean, all raked white sand and angled palm trees – but grand sand dunes the size of 100 football pitches, surrounded by green bush, steep, rolling hills, and piercing blue seas. That's Barrier, all 285 square miles of it.

It's a two-hour trip from Auckland by ferry (regarded as un-commutable by New Zealanders), and feels a million miles away. The local population is 1,500, and the men are all checked shirts and terrifying mullet haircuts, the women mostly make-up and fashion-free. You're unlikely to meet a friendlier, more charming bunch of people in your life. They are more than aware of Barrier's charms, however, so much so that the island now offers luxury retreats for tourists who really want to get away from it all.

We flew in on the tiny Great Barrier Airlines (seats: 10, airport terminal: a field) and were picked up at Claris, on the east coast of the island, by a weathered, jolly looking bloke in a 4WD. This, it turned out, was Trevor Rendle, the owner and chef at the five-star Earthsong Lodge. A former flight attendant, Trevor saved for years until he had enough to ditch the day job, buy the land, and build his straw-insulated lodge from scratch. Now he has 15 acres of land, a little vineyard, a heli-pad and a retreat with gobsmacking views.

After we'd freshened up and downed a glass of champagne, he explained he had organised for us to take an Over the Top adventure in an Argo – an amphibious vehicle that quite simply goes places other vehicles cannot reach. Barry (who sported a particularly terrifying mullet) was our driver and completely lovely he was, too; a local who obviously adored the island and his life there. His family has lived on Barrier for four generations, and still owns huge swathes of land, including the magnificent Medlands Beach.

It's hard to know who enjoyed skidding up volcanic landscapes and along the beaches more. It was boys' own territory and Barry was like a big child, telling us stories of surfing with sharks, and driving us past his cousin's collection of wild boar skulls. He stopped in the middle of the road to introduce us to his wife, who was in a car going the opposite way. "They didn't take to her when she first came here," he confided. "She likes to put a bit of make-up on and they thought she had airs. They're all right now, though."

Eventually, we arrived at Medlands Beach, and careered across the sand until we could go no further. Here, Barry led us to the exquisite Mermaid's Pool, a large, naturally enclosed rock pool protected from, yet adjacent to, the Pacific waves. He left us there for half an hour to swim around and take in the awesome views. Mermaid's Pool is on the private part of the beach, but getting permission from the family is easy – just ask anyone on the island and they'll point you to the right person. Barry couldn't remember anyone being refused permission.

After a late-afternoon kip at the lodge in one of three apartments which stand separate from the main house, we had aperitifs with Trevor and his wife Carol, and then the cooking started. Five courses (including the most delicious lobster I've ever tasted) with Carol acting as waitress while Trevor cooked. The views out over the bay were tremendous, and the silence and peace on Barrier more than justified our hopes.

The next day we went horseriding in the bush. Adventure Horse Treks is run by Chrissy Watene who lives almost on the beach in a scruffy corrugated iron hut with her five-year-old son (already a very good rider) and her Maori husband. "We don't have much money but we don't need it. We've got our bit of paradise," she said. "You wouldn't get me to move off the island for love nor money." Chrissy is in her early 30s. Her face is weathered, her hair scraped back roughly, and she talks with a Kiwi accent almost as broad as her smile. She really did seem like a woman without a care in the world, who counted herself one of the lucky ones.

We chose a half-day trek ($75, about £30, a head), which took us past the tiny primary school, through the bush, past many knackered old car wrecks (of which there are too many on the island), and finally on to the beach. The horses knew the script. Break into a canter, trot into the sea, wait for the photo opportunity and then head back to the ranch. That's pretty much what happened, but it still felt amazing, not least because I've never knowingly cantered in my life.

What else is there to know about Great Barrier? If walking is your thing, there are more than 60 miles of public tracks on the island. (More than 70 per cent of Barrier is protected by the Department of Conservation.) For bird watchers, the largest colony of brown teal duck in the world is here. Surfers can take advantage of the renowned breaks on Medlands and Awana beaches. In fact, if your version of paradise doesn't include smart restaurants and evening dress (and you don't mind the 24-hour flight to Auckland), Great Barrier Island may well be it.

Getting there

Hero Brown flew to New Zealand with British Airways (0845 773 3377; www.britishairways.com). Return flights from London to Auckland cost from £1,014 in January. Return flights through Trailfinders (020-7938 3939; www.trailfinders.com) cost from £639 with United Airlines in January. This is peak season so book your flight early.

Hero flew to Great Barrier Island with Great Barrier Airlines (00 64 9 2566 500; www.greatbarrierairlines.co.nz). Return flights cost from NZ$189 (£55). Return crossings on Fullers Ferry (00 64 9 367 9111; www.fullers.co.nz) run from October to April and cost from NZ$89 (£26).

Being there

Sebel Apartments, Auckland (00 64 9 9784 000; www.mirvac.com.au), offers double rooms from £66 per night. Earthsong Lodge, Great Barrier Island (00 64 9 4290 030; www.earthsong lodge.co.nz), offers full board from £120 per room per night, including transfers. Adventure Horse Treks (00 64 9 4290 274). Over the Top Adventures (00 64 9 4290 699).

Further information

For more details contact the New Zealand Tourist Board (020-7930 1662; www.purenz.com).

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