The Wild Side by Brian and Claire Rogers

This month the Wild Side team went soft. They let girls in.

Maybe it was the effects of rugby overload that befuddled their meagre male brains. Perhaps it was a reaction to excesses of testosterone that subconsciously caused them to compensate on the soft side – or maybe it just seemed a waste to have only smelly blokes travelling in a luxury BMW staying in five star accommodation, with four course meals and exceptional service.

Whatever the reason, the lads loaded up the X3 from Coombes Johnston BMW – not only with their trout fishing gear – but with a couple of old trouts to boot.

The BMW is a bit of a departure from the usual utes and SUVs featured in this column.

Its sporty performance and features are a departure from the gritty 4WDs of previous excursions, but ideally suited for the highway cruising from the Bay coast to the Central Plateau. Yet with all wheel drive, the X3 has the balls to get down and dirty if needed.

And as we found out, an unplanned side trip to the ski slopes meant we were in the perfect vehicle for the task.

For a sporty compact SUV, the X3 gobbled up two couples and all our gear, no mean feat since the Wild Side team like to travel 'well prepared”.

The handling and performance needs to be experienced to be appreciated and the BMW was so good to drive, I didn't want to share it.

This two litre turbo diesel, with eight speed auto, works seamlessly to keep in the right rev range for performance driving. Plenty of zip for overtaking and simply superb handling and cornering. Not that we were in any sort of hurry, it was a delightful cruise south and great to be away from the cities and the associated hi-jinks of RWC.

Our destination, the luxury Tongariro Lodge on the banks of the river just north of Turangi, lived up to all expectations. We were treated to warm, cosy and luxurious accommodation in one of the Lockwood villas on the riverside; with fine dining at the lodge's restaurant and bar.

The four-course dinners – with an extensive award-winning wine list – were an event in themselves. And with three nights ahead, we had a chance to sample plenty on the menu. Although, I have to confess that the chocolate fondant dessert was so good after the first night, that I just couldn't go past it for the next two evenings as well.

Full breakfasts were all part of the deal, setting us well up for busy days in the field enjoying the bountiful activities of this amazing Central Plateau with its stunning mountains, lakes and rivers.

The staff were relaxed and friendly and, best of all, knowledgeable. Planning each day's outings, with their local knowledge and contacts, made for an easy stay.

First up on morning one was trout fishing with one of the lodge's local guides, Tim McCarthy. What this guy doesn't know about fishing Tongariro and Taupo isn't worth knowing. And he freely imparted a fair lash of it during our day out. The lads soaked up the priceless advice like a couple of sponges.

It's well worth grabbing a local guide if you are new to an area or a newcomer to any sort of outdoor pursuit. These guys have learnt the long, hard way. One day with a local expert is worth years of trial and error as a greenie. And learn we did; Tim took us through the basics of fishing the amazing waters of the Tongariro. With four of us and the odd injury to contend with, we opted for boat fishing as starters.

Tim launched the Lodge's Sea Nymph Hustler 570 at nearby Tokaanu and it was just a few minutes buzz out the lake to the Tongariro river mouth.

Here we nudged onto the gravel river bar in the shallows and dropped a couple of anchors to keep the boat positioned.

Tim whipped out the fly rods, loaded with shooting heads to keep the flies down deep. The bright lures are designed to pique the fish's interest and entice them to get curious – with their mouths of course – by which time it's too late to be suspicious.

The key was keeping the line ready for a strike, feeling the initial take and being ready for it. Easier said than done for some on the boat, clearly enjoying the day out and the refreshments as much as the thrill of the chase. But hey, isn't that all part of the great outdoors. Good company, good conversation and a good wine. So what if a pesky fish comes along every now and then to interrupt?

Well they did – and the team was very pleased with the day on the lake. It wasn't all fly flicking. We took a break from the river mouth to troll about the bay, with a couple of boat rods set up with cobra lures.

Tim's philosophy is to avoid downriggers, though they have become popular on the lakes. He says the crucial point of trout fishing is to feel the take and this isn't possible with downriggers. Better, says Tim, to have rod in hand, a tight line and feel the strike.

The concept might not produce as many fish, but the quality of the fishing is certainly tops.

With weather looming up the Desert Road and trout for dinner, we headed back to the lodge, feeling quite rewarded for having sat on our backsides for several hours.

The chef at the lodge prepared our trout and smoked it, ready for entrees that evening.

We spent our first of three very pleasant evenings fine dining, sampling the delights of the lodge bar and watching the odd game of world cup rugby with other guests.

Day two was pegged as Tourist Joe day. A chance to get out and about in the X3, check out a few trails and river fishing possies, the odd winery and local attractions. The Beemer took the changes in terrain in its stride, from highway motoring one minute, to mildly challenging river tracks the next.

There's a myriad of side trips to be done from home base, good walking and tramping tracks, lake and riverside trails and even snowy mountains. We pointed the X3 toward Ruapehu and in a flash the environment was transformed from a sunny dry spring day; to grey and moody mountain roads – icy and snowing.

The X3 was in its element and certainly looks the part too, amidst the mountain scene crowd. It drew plenty of looks from the skiing fraternity as we negotiated the snow covered roads to the Top of the Bruce for a coffee and check out the skifields. The dashboard temperature read out plummeted from the balmy 16C at the lakeside to -2C in a matter of minutes as the X3 took us confidently to the top of the mountain road.

And being full time four wheel drive, there was no need for the driver to decide when to engage – the car had it all sorted.

The downhill was the acid test – how would it feel on the treacherous snow and ice covered road? We passed several ominous wheel tracks off into the snowy fringes where previous vehicles had not made the corners, but the X3 felt sure footed and took us down the mountain without fuss.

As we lost altitude and gained temperature, the X3 threw off its snow cape and mountain goat guise, becoming once again the refined autobahn thoroughbred. We arrived back in Turangi to grab a few snapshots of our lodge neighbours landing some nice fish in the afternoon. Back at the lodge the rugby was in full swing, a fitting end to another great day out.

Day three and it was back on the highway, making our way north. We were a smelt swimming against a massive tide of campervans streaming the opposite direction after Rotorua's Ireland-Russia match. The X3 ate up the miles in fine style and after a sidetrip to visit friends at Rotoiti, it was back to the city and unfortunately, time to give back the X3.

Our thanks to Clive and the team at Coombes Johnston for providing the ideal vehicle and to our friends for making the travelling so enjoyable.

Great company, good food, fine wine and a versatile, classy car that was quiet enough for good travelling conversation and so intuitive and easy handling that the trip was a breeze.