Generally when HR have been gallivanting about the world we are extremely happy to return to Australia (Austen Tayshus) the Great Southern Land (Icehouse) that nestles Under a Southern Sky (Paul Norton).
Upon our return from that Slice of Heaven (Dave Dobbin) New Zealand it's as though It's Been Raining For So Long (Dragon). We're in a state of Confusion (ELO) our Feelings (Morris Albert) are in a turmoil.
There was more than One Perfect Day (Little Heroes) on our trip that we just want the aeroplane to Take Me Back (Noiseworks). After our trip we are left asking is there More Than This (Roxy Music)?
After our trip to America (Simon and Garfunkel) we were only too happy for the plane to Take Me Back Home (Slade). We went to San Francisco (Scott McKenzie) and visited Alcatraz and then we flew on the Silver Bird (Mark Lindsay) to Florida. On the way into Universal Studios we visited Margaritaville (Jimmy Buffet) but we didn't get to Mexico (James Taylor).
I think we need to go Cruisin' (Smokey Robinson) again, for me Cruising (The Rascals) is sorbet for the traveller. Hagalicious and I are contemplating Sailing (Chris Cross) for the end of year break - though when School's Out (Alice Cooper) and the Holiday (Madonna) is upon us they do charge like wounded bulls!
Anyway Don't Worry Be Happy (Bobby McFerrin) I am sure HR and I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor) and will bounce back like a Rubber Ball (Bobby Vee)..........
Wednesday 26 April 2017
Tuesday 25 April 2017
Land of the Long White Cloud - the end
We left Dunedin the next day....
We would return to Christchurch for an overnight stop and then fly home via Sydney.
We stayed at the Sudima Christchurch Airport and for an airport hotel it was excellent! Plenty of parking, well appointed rooms and a great restaurant - Acheron - but we'll get to that later.
It was a bittersweet return as we wanted to spend more time exploring Christchurch but, we were at the end of the trip ad we both felt a little sad.
After checking in we decided to go do a little souvenir shopping and off we went to Westfield Riccarton and meandered around. We hadn't had any lunch and dinner was a long way off so we looked or a place to have a cuppa and a snack...we found Theobroma.
Ostensibly a chocolate shop Theobroma also serves beverages and delicious foods - Menu
HR had a hot chocolate which was served in lovely shaped mug with warmer under it, HR was so impressed he had to buy the mug and warmer!
I ordered the Honey Dew Green tea - refreshingly delicious.
Now we decided that a proper lunch would ruin dinner so we settled for Pancakes served with ice cream and drizzled with maple syrup.
It was as delicious at it looks!! Totally brilliant choice.
We wandered around some more and then returned to the hotel to repack suitcases and sort laundry before going down to the restaurant for dinner.
I ordered the Seafood Chowder of course and HR chose the Bacon Wrapped Chicken Supreme
stuffed with onion marmalade and walnuts / herbed
potato rosti, pineapple salsa and pepper corn sauce. I was delighted with my chowder and the chicken kept HR quiet for awhile so it must have been good. Naturally we had NZ Cheese Board
Selection of Kikorangi Blue Cheese, Pakari Aged Cheddar
& Brie served with assorted crackers, grapes,
dried fruits & nuts to finish the meal and once again we were delighted with New Zealand cheese.
We availed ourselves of the delicious buffet breakfast the next morning before heading to the airport.
And so we dropped of the obnoxious as fuck piece of shit' and checked in for our flight to Sydney.
It was with great sadness we left the Land of the Long White Cloud but we have plans to visit the North Island and then revisit the South ......
Monday 24 April 2017
Land of the Long White Cloud Dunedin
Dunedin is beautiful.
Dunedin is also flat, compared to Queenstown anyway.
I love Dunedin.
HR and I rolled in from Queenstown looking for a public convenience. All this travelling takes a toll on the old bladder you know.
We saw the most beautiful old building and realised it was the Dunedin Railway Station
This magnificent building, designed by George Troup was opened in 1906. A majestic building indeed! And it had a loo ....
There's a heap of cheap parking to be had here. So we parked the 'obnoxious as fuck piece of shit' and scurried to the train station. Having relieved ourselves we took the time to explore the station and see if there was a train trip we might take that afternoon. There was nothing appealing, we had been in the car for several hours so were really looking to be ambulatory.
Across from the car park was a cafe and as it was lunch time HR and I wandered over to peruse the menu. The Ionic Cafe and Bar does not have a website for me to link to but I do recommend it as a place that serves awesome liver...yes people LIVER!!! I have no idea what HR ordered I had liver with bacon and it was delicious. Used to be that liver and bacon with mashed potato was a staple of the pub menu and with a family that refuses to eat the stuff I used to rely on the pub counter lunch to get my liver fix.
After a satisfying feed it was time to walk....and walk we did right to the Chinese Gardens! Dunedin has a sister city relationship with Shanghai. The gardens are beautiful and I could have spent hours there. Perhaps if HR and I retire to New Zealand (yes it is on the cards) I will pend a lot more time there.
After a lovely hour or so wandering and experiencing the gardens we collected the vehicle and toddled off to the Scenic Hotel Southern Cross. What a lovely hotel! Great reception staff and the concierge/valet was terrific, parked the car (free valet service thank you very much) and got our bags up to the room for us. The room was lovely - clean and comfortable.
We had a Speights Brewery Tour booked for 7:00 pm, so while a had a nana nap HR went to scout the location.
A little before 7 we sauntered downstairs and across the street to the brewery. Well what a tour that was!! Worth every penny and more. Hint - take the later tour as the earlier ones are totally booked and have too many people to be comfortable - in my opinion anyway.
Our group consisted of seven people including us. Our tour guide was very amusing and informative and he really did know what he was on about. The best part of the tour of course is the tasting right at the end. We tried everything they had on tap and I have to say it was all very drinkable including the cider!!!
Returning to the hotel we discovered we were a mite hungry and so we perused the room service menu. It was almost 9 at night and we wanted something light but satisfying as we had not had dinner.
The Scenic has three dining options and the one we ordered from was the Ports O' Call Bar and Grill who had an Antipasto to Share dish on their menu. Smoked and cured meats green lipped mussels, garlic prawns a variety of cheeses, pickled vegetables, dips and artisan bread selection . What a delicious feast washed down with more of Speights cleansing ales!
The time in Dunedin was way too short and when we return to the South Island we will make sure we have enough time to get to the castles and partake of the high teas!!
We have one more trip - back to Christchurch - where it will all end.......
Dunedin is also flat, compared to Queenstown anyway.
I love Dunedin.
HR and I rolled in from Queenstown looking for a public convenience. All this travelling takes a toll on the old bladder you know.
We saw the most beautiful old building and realised it was the Dunedin Railway Station
There's a heap of cheap parking to be had here. So we parked the 'obnoxious as fuck piece of shit' and scurried to the train station. Having relieved ourselves we took the time to explore the station and see if there was a train trip we might take that afternoon. There was nothing appealing, we had been in the car for several hours so were really looking to be ambulatory.
Across from the car park was a cafe and as it was lunch time HR and I wandered over to peruse the menu. The Ionic Cafe and Bar does not have a website for me to link to but I do recommend it as a place that serves awesome liver...yes people LIVER!!! I have no idea what HR ordered I had liver with bacon and it was delicious. Used to be that liver and bacon with mashed potato was a staple of the pub menu and with a family that refuses to eat the stuff I used to rely on the pub counter lunch to get my liver fix.
After a satisfying feed it was time to walk....and walk we did right to the Chinese Gardens! Dunedin has a sister city relationship with Shanghai. The gardens are beautiful and I could have spent hours there. Perhaps if HR and I retire to New Zealand (yes it is on the cards) I will pend a lot more time there.
After a lovely hour or so wandering and experiencing the gardens we collected the vehicle and toddled off to the Scenic Hotel Southern Cross. What a lovely hotel! Great reception staff and the concierge/valet was terrific, parked the car (free valet service thank you very much) and got our bags up to the room for us. The room was lovely - clean and comfortable.
We had a Speights Brewery Tour booked for 7:00 pm, so while a had a nana nap HR went to scout the location.
A little before 7 we sauntered downstairs and across the street to the brewery. Well what a tour that was!! Worth every penny and more. Hint - take the later tour as the earlier ones are totally booked and have too many people to be comfortable - in my opinion anyway.
Our group consisted of seven people including us. Our tour guide was very amusing and informative and he really did know what he was on about. The best part of the tour of course is the tasting right at the end. We tried everything they had on tap and I have to say it was all very drinkable including the cider!!!
Returning to the hotel we discovered we were a mite hungry and so we perused the room service menu. It was almost 9 at night and we wanted something light but satisfying as we had not had dinner.
The Scenic has three dining options and the one we ordered from was the Ports O' Call Bar and Grill who had an Antipasto to Share dish on their menu. Smoked and cured meats green lipped mussels, garlic prawns a variety of cheeses, pickled vegetables, dips and artisan bread selection . What a delicious feast washed down with more of Speights cleansing ales!
The time in Dunedin was way too short and when we return to the South Island we will make sure we have enough time to get to the castles and partake of the high teas!!
We have one more trip - back to Christchurch - where it will all end.......
Saturday 15 April 2017
Land of the Long White Cloud Queenstown
There's so much to see and do on the way to Queenstown.
There are boutique wineries and cheese places, towns and hamlets to visit and even a museum!
The Wanaka Transport and Toy Museum to be precise. This place is amazing!!!
There are so many different things to see like three humongous great hangars of 'stuff' and then all the toys are in the main building. Have to say I was not impressed with the small Star Trek exhibit but then you can't have everything. The cars were amazing, they even had an Austin A40 Countryman - the first car we owned in Australia!!!
We spent quite a while here enjoying the trip down memory lane!
Queenstown is beautiful. It has everything for everyone. Breath taking scenery, shopping, quiet retreats and adrenaline junkie fixes. HR and I could retire here, when we win the lotto that is.
Queenstown sits on the shores of Lake Wakatipu set against the Southern Alps. Picturesque is trite when considering such a beautiful scene.
We stayed at the Heartland Hotel Queenstown and I wasn't impressed at all. The girl at reception was just short of rude and not very welcoming at all. I always feel that first impressions are important and have a huge impact on how your stay will go. The room was serviceable but directly opposite the kitchen of the restaurant so we were serenaded by the crash of crockery and cutlery as well as the chefs/staff yelling at each other over the cacophony. We were booked in for two nights and this noise was constant.
After checking in we went down the hill to check out the shopping. Walking back up the hill was almost as much fun as the Fox Glacier Terminal walk!!! Talk about steep!
We found a delightful ice cream shop on the corner near the water and walked around the beautiful gardens.
Back at the hotel we did some laundry and ordered room service for dinner. We shared some Buffalo wings, wedges and prawn twisters.
We also decided that what we had planned for our stay, an hour at the Onsen Hot Pools, was not enough so we looked at what else was available. We weren't interested in the speed boats and bunjee jumping. After a little effort on the google-ator we found a trip on the TSS Earnslaw across the lake to Walter Peak for lunch.
After a troubled night's sleep, the noise remember, we set off down the hill looking for breakfast before our cruise.
On the way down town we stopped at the Queenstown Information Centre and booked a gondola rid to the top of the mountain and decided dinner would be nice too!!
We booked into the cruise at the terminal and settled for the cafe around the corner from the boarding area for a spot of tea and toast. The Public Kitchen and Bar served a lovely cup of tea and really special cheese rolls. The views were gorgeous.
Boarding the TSS Earnslaw was efficiently completed and our journey began.
The TSS Earnslaw is the only coal powered steam ship in the Southern Hemisphere and she is in beautiful condition - all original. There's even an actual stoker shovelling coal!! The sound and feel of the engines was almost comforting, even with the noise of the other passengers ( a full load I believe). The Captain gave commentary on the rise across. the scenery was such that there are no superlatives that would even come close to being adequate to describe it.
At Walter Peak we disembarked and wandered over to the restaurant. Now we had booked for the BBQ lunch and really had no idea what to expect....a veritable FEAST is what we got.
A splendid room set with so many choices for entree, cheeses, salads, vegetables, breads and over to the left a dessert bar to tempt the most jaded taste! But we had come for BBQ and BBQ we got! Chicken, pork, beef and lamb all beautifully prepared and succulent to the taste. New Zealand meat has a sweeter taste than Australian.
HR had a beer and I had a glass of bubbles and we literally tried everything. We were stuffed. Then we went back for seconds........
After lunch we waddled around the gardens and then watched a sheep dog exhibition followed by a shearing display.
The trip back on the TSS Earnslaw was not as noisy as the trip out.
We lumbered back up hell hill to the hotel and rested for a little before toddling off again for the gondola ride and dinner.
I love this gondola it scared the crap out of me as it took off I swear we were going to hit the mountain!! On reflection we should have done the luge rides as well...next time.
There are boutique wineries and cheese places, towns and hamlets to visit and even a museum!
The Wanaka Transport and Toy Museum to be precise. This place is amazing!!!
There are so many different things to see like three humongous great hangars of 'stuff' and then all the toys are in the main building. Have to say I was not impressed with the small Star Trek exhibit but then you can't have everything. The cars were amazing, they even had an Austin A40 Countryman - the first car we owned in Australia!!!
Queenstown is beautiful. It has everything for everyone. Breath taking scenery, shopping, quiet retreats and adrenaline junkie fixes. HR and I could retire here, when we win the lotto that is.
Queenstown sits on the shores of Lake Wakatipu set against the Southern Alps. Picturesque is trite when considering such a beautiful scene.
We stayed at the Heartland Hotel Queenstown and I wasn't impressed at all. The girl at reception was just short of rude and not very welcoming at all. I always feel that first impressions are important and have a huge impact on how your stay will go. The room was serviceable but directly opposite the kitchen of the restaurant so we were serenaded by the crash of crockery and cutlery as well as the chefs/staff yelling at each other over the cacophony. We were booked in for two nights and this noise was constant.
After checking in we went down the hill to check out the shopping. Walking back up the hill was almost as much fun as the Fox Glacier Terminal walk!!! Talk about steep!
We found a delightful ice cream shop on the corner near the water and walked around the beautiful gardens.
Back at the hotel we did some laundry and ordered room service for dinner. We shared some Buffalo wings, wedges and prawn twisters.
We also decided that what we had planned for our stay, an hour at the Onsen Hot Pools, was not enough so we looked at what else was available. We weren't interested in the speed boats and bunjee jumping. After a little effort on the google-ator we found a trip on the TSS Earnslaw across the lake to Walter Peak for lunch.
After a troubled night's sleep, the noise remember, we set off down the hill looking for breakfast before our cruise.
On the way down town we stopped at the Queenstown Information Centre and booked a gondola rid to the top of the mountain and decided dinner would be nice too!!
We booked into the cruise at the terminal and settled for the cafe around the corner from the boarding area for a spot of tea and toast. The Public Kitchen and Bar served a lovely cup of tea and really special cheese rolls. The views were gorgeous.
The TSS Earnslaw is the only coal powered steam ship in the Southern Hemisphere and she is in beautiful condition - all original. There's even an actual stoker shovelling coal!! The sound and feel of the engines was almost comforting, even with the noise of the other passengers ( a full load I believe). The Captain gave commentary on the rise across. the scenery was such that there are no superlatives that would even come close to being adequate to describe it.
At Walter Peak we disembarked and wandered over to the restaurant. Now we had booked for the BBQ lunch and really had no idea what to expect....a veritable FEAST is what we got.
A splendid room set with so many choices for entree, cheeses, salads, vegetables, breads and over to the left a dessert bar to tempt the most jaded taste! But we had come for BBQ and BBQ we got! Chicken, pork, beef and lamb all beautifully prepared and succulent to the taste. New Zealand meat has a sweeter taste than Australian.
HR had a beer and I had a glass of bubbles and we literally tried everything. We were stuffed. Then we went back for seconds........
After lunch we waddled around the gardens and then watched a sheep dog exhibition followed by a shearing display.
The trip back on the TSS Earnslaw was not as noisy as the trip out.
We lumbered back up hell hill to the hotel and rested for a little before toddling off again for the gondola ride and dinner.
I love this gondola it scared the crap out of me as it took off I swear we were going to hit the mountain!! On reflection we should have done the luge rides as well...next time.
At the top of the mountain we had a drink and waited for our reservation at the restaurant. We paid a little extra for a guaranteed window seat and a drink.
If we thought Walter Peak was an extravaganza of food it paled in to insignificance compared to the spread at Stratosfare Queenstown Restaurant. So many different options, so many choices, HR found the 'do it yourself' Laksa and after two bowls, two prawn cocktails and assortment of desserts - creme brulee, creme caramel and some pavlova he was done!!! I had salmon, sushi, shared some of HR's prawn cocktail and availed myself of almost one of everything on the huge dessert bar. We left the meats alone as we had had a sufficiency at lunch. Tip: don't do both TSS Earnslaw/Walter Peak lunch and the Gondola Dinner package in the same day!!!!
The food quality did not suffer for being produced in such large quantities. HR and I will return!!.
I am sure they had to reinforce the cable on the gondola to take the extra weight on the way back down.
The walk back up hell hill to the hotel almost killed me....lol.
Next day we were Dunedin bound.....
Sunday 9 April 2017
Land of the Long White Cloud Franz Josef
March in Australia is still very warm. March in NZ is cooler and damper but at no time did we feel really cold Thankfully the rain confined itself to the days we were driving except at Franz Josef..
The drive to Franz Josef was another wonderland experience. The greens seem greener, the air seems cleaner, everything seemed so much more majestic.
We arrived mid afternoon and settled in to the Bella Vista Franz Josef. A clean and serviceable room perfect for sleeping and well situated for going off exploring.
Was a little confused as to why we had been housed in Franz Josef when were to do our Terminal walk on Fox Glazier half an hour away....
We walked up the main street of Franz Josef and bumped into a lovely couple who had been on the wine tour with us!!! After we parted we went to Alice May Cafe for a cuppa and cake (sorry no websites) excellent service and top cakes! then we went for a walk up the road to the bridge on the way to Fox Glacier. It ws raining lightly and we gor drenched but who cares?
After a soggy walk we ventured a little further abroad and found King Tiger Restaurant. Chinese feast here we come!!! Fried rice, dumplings, chicken and sweet corn soup and satay beef!!! Delicious!!
The next day we drove to Fox Glacier and checked in for our walk. Our guide was a real life honest to goodness Sherpa!!!! (see the picture below).We were given a brief about our impending walk, then we suited up in rain gear, warm socks and boots and into the bus for the short trip to the start of our walk.
Deceptively flat at the start we were soon huffing and puffing on our way to the top of a seriously steep climb. I don't have a picture that really shows how steep the climb was. Suffice to say not all of our group made it to the top. I almost didn't but dammit I wasn't going to be beaten!
What a great experience that walk was.Actually completing the walk was exhilarating!
After we had returned all flights and walks were cancelled due to the weather.
Back in Franz Josef we had a late lunch and then went to explore some of the other walks around the area.
Dinner was cold meats and cheese from the local supermarket. After all that exercise we slept very well after all we had to drive to Queenstown on the morrow.....
Saturday 8 April 2017
Land of the Long White Cloud Nelson
The roads in New Zealand's South Island are pretty good. Lots of road repairs going on in a timely manner and not impacting travel times too much. Mostly one lane either way with odd little slow bays and some overtaking lanes. The traffic is not heavy and....get this... if a vehicle is slow and holding up traffic they will find a safe place to pull over and let that traffic pass them!!!!!
After playing dodgem cars on the Warrego Highway for 18 years I was astounded by this courtesy!!!
The trip to Nelson was, once again, through some gorgeous scenery and uneventful. We stopped by Picton for breakfast at the Seabreeze Cafe an Bar. While we watched the Picton ferry ply its trade to the North Island we ate divine French Toast with streaky bacon, banana and maple syrup (me) and Wairau Valley Free Range Eggs and streaky bacon (HR). Delicious food with awesome views.
After a stroll down the main street we continued our journey to Nelson.
HR and I are not huge fans of Nelson it just didn't 'feel' right for us.We did a little shopping and bought some pastries for lunch then moseyed on over to that night's accommodation.
We stayed at the Grand Mercure Nelson Monarco and received an upgrade on arrival. A visually appealing set up looked like a typical English Green surrounded by houses.
The rooms were very comfortable and beautifully appointed comprising a sitting room, kitchenette, huge bedroom and spacious bathroom.
After playing dodgem cars on the Warrego Highway for 18 years I was astounded by this courtesy!!!
The trip to Nelson was, once again, through some gorgeous scenery and uneventful. We stopped by Picton for breakfast at the Seabreeze Cafe an Bar. While we watched the Picton ferry ply its trade to the North Island we ate divine French Toast with streaky bacon, banana and maple syrup (me) and Wairau Valley Free Range Eggs and streaky bacon (HR). Delicious food with awesome views.
After a stroll down the main street we continued our journey to Nelson.
HR and I are not huge fans of Nelson it just didn't 'feel' right for us.We did a little shopping and bought some pastries for lunch then moseyed on over to that night's accommodation.
We stayed at the Grand Mercure Nelson Monarco and received an upgrade on arrival. A visually appealing set up looked like a typical English Green surrounded by houses.
After a walk around the beach we opted for fish and chips for dinner and were very underwhelmed with the food.
An early night, then back into the 'obnoxious as fuck, piece of shit' (thank you Mini Brat) and off to Franz Josef.....
Land of the Long White Cloud - Blenheim
So from Kaikoura it was off to Blenheim - winery country! A beautiful scenic meander that took a little longer than we thought courtesy of the earthquake. Here we stayed at the Scenic Hotel Marlborough. A well situated hotel with lovely rooms and the wonderful Mondrians restaurant.
After checking into the Hotel we wandered off to have a look at Blenheim. A beautiful town with gorgeous gardens set out on an easy to navigate grid. There are no traffic lights in Blenheim, traffic control is via roundabouts. I think I could live in Blenheim, I really do.
After having a stroll round we dined at Mondrian's. What a lovely meal! I had the Seafood Chowder - Traditional style chowder with manuka smokes local fish king salmon and green lipped mussels, served with warm bread. What a delicious soup with so much warm bread. So good I had it again the next night. HR had 5 Spice Pork Belly - with orange ginger glaze, sesame parsnip mash and Asian slaw. To complete the meal we had the New Zealand Cheese Board - a selection of cheeses and died fruits with honeycomb an it was here that we were first introduced to Puhoi Cheese. Some of the most delicious cheeses I have ever tasted were on that platter including a smooth, soft creamy blue cheese that even HR enjoyed. In fact he enjoyed t so much he ate most of it. Who'd've thunk ? He who eats no blue cheese gorging himself on blue cheese!!!!!! A glass or two of Vidal Estate Sauvignon Blanc to wash it all down with and voila!!!
A good night's sleep on a very comfy bed and it was time to do The Winery Tour!!!I have to say that the wineries included were well set up and very professional in their presentations.
We boarded a mini bus at 11:00 and with 12 others we trundled off to explore six of the finest wineries in the Marlborough Region.
We started at Spy Valley and after an informative spiel from the knowledgeable young lady looking after our group we commenced our tasting with a Pinot Gris 2016, the a Sauvignon Blanc 2016, Riesling Envoy 2012 and then a Pinot Noir 2014. I enjoyed the wines here they were fresh and fruity not too sweet and the red was most palatable. I generally don't like reds at all!!
I am in no way a wine buff but I would be happy to drink these wines regularly!!
Back into the bus and off to Framingham Winery .
Here we were escorted into a cellar for our tasting and it was very atmospheric with wine racks and barrels and historical memorabilia Again we tried , in no particular order, a Select Riesling 2016, Classic Riesling 2014, Pinot Gris 2015, Sauvingon Blanc 2015 and a Pinot Noir 2014. The whites were a little dryer for my taste but the Pinot Noir was really rather good!!!
Next stop was St Clair wines for more tasting and lunch. Seriously, the lunch was awesome but to my untrained palate the wines were vinegary. We dined at the Vineyard Kitchen and HR and I shared a platter A Celebration of Marlborough - with all produce sourced locally. Home made salmon gravlax, Marlborough mussels, Premium Game salami, home made wild game terrine,local olive, home made dip, garlic noir and home made bread. Every mouthful totally delicious!
So many delicious tastes and textures and some really good company!!
From here the wines start to get blurry lol
Giesens was the next port of call and we tried the usual assortment of wines none of which stood out to me. I wonder if that is because we got desensitised as we went along.
Allan Scott wines was the penultimate winery and as well as the usual suspects there were a couple of quirky little numbers including some experimental wines they were toying with.
Whitehaven wines was the last winery and honestly by now HR and I are totally wined out. We declined the tasting session and went to get ice cream at a little shop called Sweet Treats at The Vines Village.
Our final port of call on this delightful excursion was the Makana Confections Boutique Chocolate Factory......what a perfect conclusion to a wonderful tour. Of course we bought some 'samples' including Macadamia Orange Biscotti, a selection of truffles and Macadamia Butter Toffee Crunch. The butter toffee crunch was the pick of a fabulous bunch and it is totally addictive.
Finally we were dropped back at the hotel and after an hours 'rest' it was dinner time and off to Mondrian's we went. Seafood Chowder for moi and HR chose Honey Stung Chicken Salad - tender roasted chicken thigh with a honey, sweet chili and lime glaze served with seasonal dressed greens and steamed vegetables. Naturally we had cheese afterwards. No wine tonight I drank Scotch and HR was drinking Speights Beer (more about that in another blog).
After a full day we slept well and arose in a timely manner for our journey to Nelson........
After checking into the Hotel we wandered off to have a look at Blenheim. A beautiful town with gorgeous gardens set out on an easy to navigate grid. There are no traffic lights in Blenheim, traffic control is via roundabouts. I think I could live in Blenheim, I really do.
After having a stroll round we dined at Mondrian's. What a lovely meal! I had the Seafood Chowder - Traditional style chowder with manuka smokes local fish king salmon and green lipped mussels, served with warm bread. What a delicious soup with so much warm bread. So good I had it again the next night. HR had 5 Spice Pork Belly - with orange ginger glaze, sesame parsnip mash and Asian slaw. To complete the meal we had the New Zealand Cheese Board - a selection of cheeses and died fruits with honeycomb an it was here that we were first introduced to Puhoi Cheese. Some of the most delicious cheeses I have ever tasted were on that platter including a smooth, soft creamy blue cheese that even HR enjoyed. In fact he enjoyed t so much he ate most of it. Who'd've thunk ? He who eats no blue cheese gorging himself on blue cheese!!!!!! A glass or two of Vidal Estate Sauvignon Blanc to wash it all down with and voila!!!
A good night's sleep on a very comfy bed and it was time to do The Winery Tour!!!I have to say that the wineries included were well set up and very professional in their presentations.
We boarded a mini bus at 11:00 and with 12 others we trundled off to explore six of the finest wineries in the Marlborough Region.
We started at Spy Valley and after an informative spiel from the knowledgeable young lady looking after our group we commenced our tasting with a Pinot Gris 2016, the a Sauvignon Blanc 2016, Riesling Envoy 2012 and then a Pinot Noir 2014. I enjoyed the wines here they were fresh and fruity not too sweet and the red was most palatable. I generally don't like reds at all!!
I am in no way a wine buff but I would be happy to drink these wines regularly!!
Back into the bus and off to Framingham Winery .
Here we were escorted into a cellar for our tasting and it was very atmospheric with wine racks and barrels and historical memorabilia Again we tried , in no particular order, a Select Riesling 2016, Classic Riesling 2014, Pinot Gris 2015, Sauvingon Blanc 2015 and a Pinot Noir 2014. The whites were a little dryer for my taste but the Pinot Noir was really rather good!!!
Next stop was St Clair wines for more tasting and lunch. Seriously, the lunch was awesome but to my untrained palate the wines were vinegary. We dined at the Vineyard Kitchen and HR and I shared a platter A Celebration of Marlborough - with all produce sourced locally. Home made salmon gravlax, Marlborough mussels, Premium Game salami, home made wild game terrine,local olive, home made dip, garlic noir and home made bread. Every mouthful totally delicious!
So many delicious tastes and textures and some really good company!!
From here the wines start to get blurry lol
Giesens was the next port of call and we tried the usual assortment of wines none of which stood out to me. I wonder if that is because we got desensitised as we went along.
Allan Scott wines was the penultimate winery and as well as the usual suspects there were a couple of quirky little numbers including some experimental wines they were toying with.
Whitehaven wines was the last winery and honestly by now HR and I are totally wined out. We declined the tasting session and went to get ice cream at a little shop called Sweet Treats at The Vines Village.
Our final port of call on this delightful excursion was the Makana Confections Boutique Chocolate Factory......what a perfect conclusion to a wonderful tour. Of course we bought some 'samples' including Macadamia Orange Biscotti, a selection of truffles and Macadamia Butter Toffee Crunch. The butter toffee crunch was the pick of a fabulous bunch and it is totally addictive.
Finally we were dropped back at the hotel and after an hours 'rest' it was dinner time and off to Mondrian's we went. Seafood Chowder for moi and HR chose Honey Stung Chicken Salad - tender roasted chicken thigh with a honey, sweet chili and lime glaze served with seasonal dressed greens and steamed vegetables. Naturally we had cheese afterwards. No wine tonight I drank Scotch and HR was drinking Speights Beer (more about that in another blog).
After a full day we slept well and arose in a timely manner for our journey to Nelson........
Thursday 6 April 2017
The Land of the Long White Cloud - Christchurch and Beyond
A few years ago HR and I thought we might like to go to New Zealand, specifically the South Island.
We thought we'd fly in, hire a car and drive around the island stopping in major towns and doing some fun things- wine tours, brewery tours, glacier walks etc.Life got in the way and we shelved the idea.
Last year we revisited the idea, engaged a travel consultant and created an itinerary, checked the cost and booked the trip for March 2017.
We flew into Christchurch on a sunny afternoon in March, breezed through Customs and went to pick up our hire car. The car is an older model fairly comfy but........no aircon!!! not even a fan!! So we asked the young lady for another car and she sent us to the depot. At the depot the nice young man upgraded us to a newer car with working aircon. In the words of the Mini Brat it was an 'obnoxious as fuck piece of shit' Mitsubishi Lancer. It was a comfy little car that did the job asked of it.
We needed to get a few things from the shops on the way to the hotel so we navigated our way to Northlands shopping centre Christchurch to grab supplies. A very useful little centre indeed and prices weren't too bad either.
We stayed at the Heartland Hotel Cotswold a quaint hotel with a Tudor theme. A gorgeous set of rooms with a huge bathroom and extremely comfy beds. I do recommend this a a great place to stay.
We arrived a little too late to attend the restaurant so we ordered room service. What a delicious repast we had. I chose the Seafood Taster - Maple marinated scallop wrapped in NZ bacon with lemon pepper hollandaise. Salmon mousse with salmon jerky. Garlic and chilli fried calamari with garlic aioli. Beautiful bites of taste and texture and the salmon jerky was awesome.
HR had the Chicken Shnitzel Burger - Chicken, garlic roasted field mushrooms, apricot chutney, lettuce, tomato and Barry's Bay Havarti cheese in a Turkish bun. Hand cut fries and garlic aioli
Now mine was an entree size but HR's meal was a normal main - it was humongous!!! and the hand cut fries were bloody amazing!!
We had Barry's Bay Cheese Platter to finish with - A selection of local cheeses from Barry's Bay. Crackers, sliced apple, toasted nuts, and home grown quince paste. Our first taste of the local cheese. Now I am going to make special mention of blue cheese - HR loathes blue cheese but now and then I get him to taste some and this reinforces his loathing.........for the nonce
We had a great nights sleep and were looking forward to a quick trip up the road to Kaikoura for the next leg of our South Island exploration. That was until I mentioned our destination to the concierge and he informed us that the road we wanted was out of commission due to the earthquake in late
2016. What would have been a 90 minute trip became a 6 hour journey through some of the most magnificent scenery!!! Unfortunately the next stage of the journey, to Blenheim, should only have been a couple of hours but with the road closure this was going to be a 6 hour journey. This meant that the Whale Watching tour we had booked at Kaikoura was not going to happen as it finished at 1530 and then we would have six hours on unknown roads in the dark. The Tour company offered a refund which was pretty darned nice of them.
At Kaikoura we stayed at the Alpine Pacific Motel in a basic but comfy room and we went to Coopers Catch for fish and chips. The batter was light and crispy, the fish fresh and tasty and the chips...aah the chips a veritable symphony of fried potatoes!!
Another good night's sleep and we were off to Blenheim!!!! (see the upcoming blog The Land of the Long White Cloud - Blenheim)
We thought we'd fly in, hire a car and drive around the island stopping in major towns and doing some fun things- wine tours, brewery tours, glacier walks etc.Life got in the way and we shelved the idea.
Last year we revisited the idea, engaged a travel consultant and created an itinerary, checked the cost and booked the trip for March 2017.
We flew into Christchurch on a sunny afternoon in March, breezed through Customs and went to pick up our hire car. The car is an older model fairly comfy but........no aircon!!! not even a fan!! So we asked the young lady for another car and she sent us to the depot. At the depot the nice young man upgraded us to a newer car with working aircon. In the words of the Mini Brat it was an 'obnoxious as fuck piece of shit' Mitsubishi Lancer. It was a comfy little car that did the job asked of it.
We needed to get a few things from the shops on the way to the hotel so we navigated our way to Northlands shopping centre Christchurch to grab supplies. A very useful little centre indeed and prices weren't too bad either.
We stayed at the Heartland Hotel Cotswold a quaint hotel with a Tudor theme. A gorgeous set of rooms with a huge bathroom and extremely comfy beds. I do recommend this a a great place to stay.
We arrived a little too late to attend the restaurant so we ordered room service. What a delicious repast we had. I chose the Seafood Taster - Maple marinated scallop wrapped in NZ bacon with lemon pepper hollandaise. Salmon mousse with salmon jerky. Garlic and chilli fried calamari with garlic aioli. Beautiful bites of taste and texture and the salmon jerky was awesome.
HR had the Chicken Shnitzel Burger - Chicken, garlic roasted field mushrooms, apricot chutney, lettuce, tomato and Barry's Bay Havarti cheese in a Turkish bun. Hand cut fries and garlic aioli
Now mine was an entree size but HR's meal was a normal main - it was humongous!!! and the hand cut fries were bloody amazing!!
We had Barry's Bay Cheese Platter to finish with - A selection of local cheeses from Barry's Bay. Crackers, sliced apple, toasted nuts, and home grown quince paste. Our first taste of the local cheese. Now I am going to make special mention of blue cheese - HR loathes blue cheese but now and then I get him to taste some and this reinforces his loathing.........for the nonce
We had a great nights sleep and were looking forward to a quick trip up the road to Kaikoura for the next leg of our South Island exploration. That was until I mentioned our destination to the concierge and he informed us that the road we wanted was out of commission due to the earthquake in late
2016. What would have been a 90 minute trip became a 6 hour journey through some of the most magnificent scenery!!! Unfortunately the next stage of the journey, to Blenheim, should only have been a couple of hours but with the road closure this was going to be a 6 hour journey. This meant that the Whale Watching tour we had booked at Kaikoura was not going to happen as it finished at 1530 and then we would have six hours on unknown roads in the dark. The Tour company offered a refund which was pretty darned nice of them.
At Kaikoura we stayed at the Alpine Pacific Motel in a basic but comfy room and we went to Coopers Catch for fish and chips. The batter was light and crispy, the fish fresh and tasty and the chips...aah the chips a veritable symphony of fried potatoes!!
Another good night's sleep and we were off to Blenheim!!!! (see the upcoming blog The Land of the Long White Cloud - Blenheim)
Saturday 1 April 2017
2017
It's been awhile, how have you all been? Good Christmas? New Year treating you well?
2016 was quite the crappiest year I have had for quite some time; car accident, crappy new job, family break up, another car accident, did I mention the crappy new job?
The highlight of the year was probably the cruise HR and I went on for his big 50 (though there were a couple of issues there too) and the fine dining at Miss Amelie in Wodonga.
During my tenure at the crappy new job I applied for many other positions to get the hell out of there and ended up on a few merit lists. Merit lists are useful in that a prospective employer doesn't need to go through the interview, referee check stuff. They just call one in and have a chat to see how you might fit their requirement.
Mid December 2016 I was contacted by a prospective employer with a view to having a chat in Jan 2017. A few days later another prospective employer rang to interview me in Jan 2017 (not a merit list selection).
Christmas break was a welcome break. HR had to work Christmas and Boxing Day so I went to Mother's and saw the children and of course it was STILL 2016 and naturally there were dramas.
I flew in to Brisbane for the Brisbane Heat T20 games. It was a great season!
2017 and back to work, sigh.
Mid January I am contacted by both employers and the dance begins. The merit list 'chat' went really well; the moment I saw the team I new this would be ok. I reckon I really screwed up the proper interview for the second position.
In the end I got the position and a promotion from the merit list activity. I was placed on another merit list as a result of the second recruitment activity.
I started my new job just after HR and I got back from New Zealand (there will be a Land of the Long White Cloud blog shortly).
On my first day I got a message from the second employer asking for a contact number they had some good news for me. I sent m number, they rang and offered me a very exciting position...fecking heck what do I do now?????????
Three days later I get a call from a third prospective employer (merit listing again) offers me another whizzbang position!!!
I have analysed the pros and cons of each position and I figure I am staying where I am. However if they don't let me do some real work soon I just might defect lol........
2016 was quite the crappiest year I have had for quite some time; car accident, crappy new job, family break up, another car accident, did I mention the crappy new job?
The highlight of the year was probably the cruise HR and I went on for his big 50 (though there were a couple of issues there too) and the fine dining at Miss Amelie in Wodonga.
During my tenure at the crappy new job I applied for many other positions to get the hell out of there and ended up on a few merit lists. Merit lists are useful in that a prospective employer doesn't need to go through the interview, referee check stuff. They just call one in and have a chat to see how you might fit their requirement.
Mid December 2016 I was contacted by a prospective employer with a view to having a chat in Jan 2017. A few days later another prospective employer rang to interview me in Jan 2017 (not a merit list selection).
Christmas break was a welcome break. HR had to work Christmas and Boxing Day so I went to Mother's and saw the children and of course it was STILL 2016 and naturally there were dramas.
I flew in to Brisbane for the Brisbane Heat T20 games. It was a great season!
2017 and back to work, sigh.
Mid January I am contacted by both employers and the dance begins. The merit list 'chat' went really well; the moment I saw the team I new this would be ok. I reckon I really screwed up the proper interview for the second position.
In the end I got the position and a promotion from the merit list activity. I was placed on another merit list as a result of the second recruitment activity.
I started my new job just after HR and I got back from New Zealand (there will be a Land of the Long White Cloud blog shortly).
On my first day I got a message from the second employer asking for a contact number they had some good news for me. I sent m number, they rang and offered me a very exciting position...fecking heck what do I do now?????????
Three days later I get a call from a third prospective employer (merit listing again) offers me another whizzbang position!!!
I have analysed the pros and cons of each position and I figure I am staying where I am. However if they don't let me do some real work soon I just might defect lol........
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)