This piece will be in two parts. 1) because it’s too bodacious to write up in one part and 2) I want to brag about how cool it was and 3) did I really just say bodacious.

Receiving an invitation in the post scores pretty big on my points leader board. But being whisked off to an amazing retreat in the middle of nowhere with bubbles to boot means I’ll sell my granny for you.

A bus load of people from Queenstown randomly whisked off to Aro-Ha near the small community of Glenorchy to celebrate the opening of the new Lululemon store. Want to come? I cancelled my other plans.

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Lululemon are due to open a new store on friday 25th. Before doing so they unleashed a secret afternoon on some unsuspecting adults from Queenstown. We received our invitation and were told to meet in town by 3.30pm and to bring hiking boots, togs, waterproofs, warm clothes and a kitchen sink. I did just so (and no not the sink)

Whisked away to just before Glenorchy township, a turn off on the right is Aro Ha.

“The vision is Zen inspired luxury, where the luxury comes from intelligent design, function of space, and exceptional programming, rather than opulence or excess.”

And they’ve got it just right. A beautiful hike was first, which was perfect as when breathing through your ears human being naturally begin chatting and getting to know each other. A massive range of people from differing backgrounds, jobs and communities emerged and merged.

Back to the site and next up- yoga with a twist. I’ve never experienced yoga with a DJ playing music before, yoga with a dj and a few glasses of bubbles in me now that’s a different experience. There were experts and there was me. I may have fallen on my bum more than once. No worries, the yoga moved so quickly (Ralston method- Nikki Ralston) no one noticed. Or this was what I told myself anyway.

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Now, I have to check you’re still with me. Caught up yet? No neither had I. After yoga we were allowed to open the envelopes which had been burning a hole under our yoga mats. To welcome us to the new lululemon studio their new words ‘endorphins, yoga, discovery’ we were presented with a paraglide voucher, sized up for lululemon clothes and dinner voucher. My mouth was on the floor. Yours too.
ONWARD.

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The choice of sauna, spa and plunge pool or learning about nutritious delicious food was up next. I chose the food (you know me always thinking about my tum). There was no cake in sight. Shame. BUT WAIT. We got to taste some of the most amazing raw, yes raw food I’ve ever tasted. I will no longer smirk at people who live the raw way. It’s the way forward (with maybe a kit kat or too in for good measure)

After eating, drinking, yoga-ing, chatting, hiking, plunging it was time to leave the dream and enter reality. Dishwasher needs cleaning, washing basket is over flowing.
Thank you Lululemon and Aro Ha. Wow.

I have to add, at some point during the evening my mum wanted to Skype. Just out of the blue wanting to Skype. I IGNORED HER TEXT. This is how amazing it was.
Aro Ha. I will be back

And Lululemon i’ll see you Friday.

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