"We are incorporating a number of practices that produce optimum health and have taken out the bits and pieces that may be seen as superficial - there are no facials or manicures or anything like that,"he says."We come at it from a nutritional side and a physical side with stretching,moving,breathing and sweating.
"It's a high fibre and high-nutrition diet (limited to 1200 calories a day). There's no meat,dairy,coffee,alcohol or refined sugar. Then we sprinkle in a bit of mindfulness and meditation,"he says."We are bringing more nature into your life,more connection with the environment,more awareness of where and how your food comes to the plate and what you are eating. In the end,you sleep better and your eyes are brighter,the skin becomes clearer,the tongue clears up,the body goes through a detox process."
Not to mention the weight loss that results from just one week of healthy living. Chaparro says the idea for Aro Ha was"kind of on the back of a napkin"when he ran it past Chris Madison,also from the US,who owns a $2 billion hedge fund company and has been a client - 12 times - at The Ashram.
"Chris was sold on it straight away. He is the type of guy that makes things happen,and here we are four years later,"Chaparro says as he sips a manuka detox tea in front of the schist-surrounded log fire in Aro Ha's cosy lounge. There's a wall of bookshelves along one side of the room,lined with reading on meditation,yoga and good food.
Good food that is delicious is a signature of the place,especially in the hands of Brazilian chef Ranieri Silva who sources as much of it as possible from the retreat's own gardens,its hot house that is connected to the kitchen,and from local suppliers. The nutrient-packed meals taste as good as they look and it becomes a habit among our group of 10 to photograph them as if they are movie stars waltzing along a red carpet. The philosophy of the food is that it is paleo-based,vegan,enzymatically active,raw,soaked,sprouted and fermented. Among Silva's dishes is a Moroccan vegetable curry with a spice mix that includes cumin seeds,tumeric,smoked paprika,cardamom and dry kawakawa leaves (kawakawa is a traditional medicinal plant used by Maori).
Each of our meals is accompanied with such a description,outlining the benefits of the food we are about to eat.
One day is reserved for fasting and we have just five nutrient-packed juices that surprisingly suppress any severe hunger pangs.
Meals are taken at a long communal oak table in a spacious dining area that has a farmhouse feel and killer views through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
All the Aro Ha buildings are of recycled timber,right down to the floorboards. In a nod to zen,they are minimalist in their furnishings. The property has a sustainable building management system that includes solar panels and a wood-fired boiler that convert sunlight and water into energy to give Aro Ha off-the-grid capability and a minimal carbon footprint.
Rainwater for the gardens is collected from the roofing and the buildings have high levels of insulation.
"A lot of people come here wanting to get back on track and to lose a bit of weight,"Chaparro says."That is often the initial goal,but as they experience the program they recognise there is more depth to it.
"The goal for us is to create genuine deep-down health."
The writer lost 5.4 kilograms during the retreat week and one month later has lost a further two kilograms. He still hasn't had a coffee,or even a chocolate eclair. He passed on the Fergburger and walked out empty-handed. He travelled courtesy of Aro Ha and Destination Queenstown.
A TYPICAL DAY AT ARO HA
6am Yoga
7am Breakfast,sometimes only a juice.
8amSub-alpine trek on steep terrain,3-4 hours.
12.30pm Lunch at a communal table.
1-2pm A break of about an hour.
2pm Circuit training or Pilates.
3.30pm One-hour therapeutic massage.
5pm Nutrition workshop or cooking demonstration.
6pm Restorative yoga.
7pm Dinner.
9pm Slumber.
TRIP NOTES
GETTING THERE
There are direct flights from Melbourne,Sydney and Brisbane to Queenstown with Air New Zealand,Jetstar,Qantas and Virgin. Flight time is about three hours from Melbourne and Sydney. Seeairnewzealand.com.au;jetstar.com;qantas.com.au;virginaustralia.com.
STAYING THERE
Five-day/four-night retreat from $NZ4550 ($4265);seven-day/six-night retreat from $NZ6250 a person. Most of the bedrooms share a bathroom/toilet,kitchenette and entry hallway with another bedroom,but if the retreat isn't full you get it to yourself. The rooms are uncluttered and include lake and mountain views.