Still The One

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The saying “truth is stranger than fiction” could most definitely be applied to the life of singer Shania Twain; in fact, it’s a surprise her journey hasn’t yet been turned into a movie. Marked by tragedy and scandal, and also staggering success, the 53-year-old singer is an unexpected example of survival against the odds. Abuse, a fatal car crash, a crippling disease and one of the messiest celebrity divorce stories in recent years are all part of her story… yet she still shines.

This December, the country crossover star will perform her first ever concerts in New Zealand as part of her remarkable comeback tour, after she suddenly and mysteriously disappeared from the public stage in 2004.

She may not have performed here before, but Shania has a long history with New Zealand. Back in 2004 she and her then husband Robert “Mutt” Lange paid an eye-watering $21.5 million to buy Motatapu station, a 24,731ha piece of stunning land in the South Island. It became both a dream holiday destination and also a future focus for Shania, somewhere she, Mutt and their son Eja would live once she had embraced a quieter life. “I started designing a homestead for us shortly after we bought it and began putting my heart, soul and dreams into the plans,” she wrote in her memoir From This Moment On. “Every year Mutt, Eja and I would go there for several months, living in a small caravan parked in one of the sheep paddocks... we enjoyed camping out while our home was being built.”

But the Kiwi dream took a devastating turn when Shania and Mutt split in 2008, with Mutt becoming the sole owner of the property, which has now become Mahu Whenua Luxury Lodge (where overnight rates start at $1850 a night).