Summer 2022

JANUARY

January saw me head up the Coromandel Peninsula with one of my best friends Shyla, to see some of the most spectacular views the north island has to offer. We stayed at Stony Bay, a lovely DOC campsite which - surprise surprise, bordered a stony bay. We secured an epic spot under a tree (shade is always a prime concern when camping). I think it ended up being about a 5 hour drive, but it was wonderful once we arrived. 

In January Shy also surprised me with a belated birthday weekend, involving delicious desserts at the beach at sunset (I highly recommend). We did think about going for a daring evening swim, but upon wading out and realising it was one of those beaches where you're at ankle depth forever, we gave that idea up. Also, it was more mud than sand - never my favourite. 

We also kayaked the Puhoi river which I highly recommend. Puhoi River kayaks are the company running it - and it's a little pricey at $55 per kayak for the trip but well worth it. The paddle takes around 1.5-2 hours and is tidal, so depending on the tides you either go Puhoi to Wenderholm, or Wenderholm to Puhoi. I strongly recommend the latter, as its the Puhoi river part rather than the Wenderhold estuary that makes it worthwhile. Think peaceful river views. 

Just don't do like one poor lady and flip her kayak in terror due to a cockroach, losing her - and her three friend's - phones in the river forever in the process. Oops.

FEBRUARY

Feb saw the fruition of my gardening, with crops of little tomatoes and even a couple of chilis! Little did I know this would be the last summer of successful tomato growing for a while due to extreme weather events. Enjoy those tomatoes whilst you can past me!

MARCH

This month saw us do many a tourist thing. We started off by visiting Kauwau island, which I hadn't been to since I was kid. It's a beautiful island, with its own microclimate, wild wallabies, and the ruins of an old copper mine. By far its most famous landmark is Sir George Gray's manor house. But we were more interested in the nature.

We were disappointed not to spot any wallabies, despite all the signs warning about them. We did however manage a lovely hike, even spotting the old copper mine from a distance. I also went for a bracing swim!

My brothers came for a visit, allowing us to indulge in moree tourist things. We checked out the Weta Workshop in Auckland (fun, but more aimed at kids). I liked the models especially.

My favourite was a life-sized figure of Lurtz, the dastardly Uruk-hai who killed Boromir in the Fellowship of the Ring (puts on nerd glasses). 

Next we decided to finally become true Kiwi's and head up the Skytower for the first time ever! Its one of those things that once you've done it, you've done it, but it's absolutely worth going once. The views across Auckland on all sides were stunning. 

We capped off our Auckland adventure day with a trip up One Tree Hill, always a classic. 

My favourite time to see Auckland is at dawn or dusk, and she obliged with a gorgeous sunset for us as we walked along the viaduct. Being tourists for a day was great fun!

2022 - New Years

The year started off with a mixed bag - The Good: 

We headed down to our airbnb on the 30th December, stopping at the Blue Springs on the way down. Located in the Waikato, It's one of those places you see photos of and think it can't possibly be as pretty in real life. Spoiler - it is! It actually provides the majority of New Zealand's bottled water, which reflects how clear and clean the water is. 

I think the only shame about this is it means, of course, no swimming. There's something deliciously torturous about walking along a clear blue river with the sun beating down mercilessly, and one can't even dip their toes in.

Dying of thirst (oh the irony!) We made our way back to the air conditioned car and headed for our accomodation in the middle of nowhere. Cosy and with a view of the river, aside from a questionable flushing toilet, and many mosquitos, it was perfect.

The next morning, we headed to the 'Lavender Backyard Garden' to buy some dried lavender, frolic in lavender fields, and sit on a lavender coloured tractor. All good things.

 Next stop was that dreaded place - Hamilton. The good old 'Tron (Chlamydia capital of NZ don't you know) wasn't exactly the ritzy New Years destination one might have had in mind - but wait! 

This isn't the bad part yet (that comes later). Hamilton Gardens is perhaps the only reason to go near the city (am I being too harsh? I don't think I am). 

Not only does the park cover 130 acres, it's also free! Each garden features a different style or time period, and we unfortunately ran out of time to see them all. 

One of my favourite areas was the Italian Garden, which had me longing for Europe. I would love to go back and see more of this awesome park, and highly recommend making it a full day trip - if the weather is gorgeous you could even bring a picnic!

Being New Years Eve, we had decided to treat ourselves and book a degustation dinner at a well-rated restaurant. Alas, we had forgotten we were in Hamilton. Here comes...The Bad: 

They started us off with raw fish and avocado - this was Not Good. Considering these are two ingredients neither of us like, it wasn't an auspicious beginning. 

The place felt stifled, trying to be too posh, with the heavy weight of the waiters judgement upon you (and we had been found wanting). They hovered, breathing down your neck, making you feel like you couldn't relax. And worse, we soon discovered the chef had a thing for cubes. 

First it was the cubed pork which reminded us strongly of cat food. 

Next cubed potato, but not to be left at that, the cuboid-mad chef valiantly turned our steak into a rectangle too. For some odd reason, it did not improve the flavour one bit.

And lastly... The Ugly:

Not to be outdone by dessert, the madman in the kitchen clearly decided a cube just wouldn't cut it for dessert. Sorrel ice-cream would be just the ticket (said no one ever). It tasted like...

Toilet duck. 

There, I said it. Pine scented toilet duck. We did not finish our plates.

Disappointed, we headed back the hour's drive to our Airbnb. Halfway through Ben decided it really had been cat-food we had been fed, and then spent the rest of the night trying not to vomit. We brought in the New Year clutching our stomachs and wondering what had just happened. 

However! Things could really only go upward from there. Bright and early the next morning, dragging Ben from bed with far more energy than he would like, I declared it Kayak time!

And honestly, it was the best way to start the New Year. I highly recommend the company Riverside Adventures, where we were able to rent kayaks for $40 each for 3 hours ($60 for the full day!) which I thought was very reasonable. We paddled our way through a gorgeous canyon and didn't see another soul (the joys of getting up early on New Years day).

After our morning on the water, I knew just the ticket to bring in the year in a more palatable way than the night before - champagne and foie gras!

 And last but very much not least, we indulged in the outdoor baths provided at the accomodation. Looking out at the river with clear stars above us, really could we ask for much more? And hopefully, the degustations can only improve in the future...watch this space!

December 2021

December 2021

I realise I'm now three years behind on my blogging - it becomes difficult to write a travel blog when one is home. However, the adventures don't stop, they just become smaller. And there may yet be travel in my near future. 

So the continuation of the blog, I'm going to condense the past few years into a couple of posts, keeping to those stand out moments. 

Now where were we? Ah yes, Christmas 2021...

Christmas in the summer is always a slightly odd thing, but it's also an ideal occasion to whip out the classic kiwi dessert - Pavlova. For many years, especially overseas where no-one had ever heard of it, I considered this dessert my signature dish. No fail (and if it did, you piled it high with cream and strawberries until no one could tell!)

Perhaps my favorite thing about summertime in New Zealand is the morning swim. We made it a habit every fine weekend to be at the beach before 8am for a bracing plunge to start the day. It certainly wakes you up!

One of the many things I love about our little neighbourhood is the yearly Christmas lights, there's a competition and everything. It's lovely to go for walks in the evenings, spotting the best decorations. We have made it a yearly tradition. 

More excellent decorations.

Of course Christmas means family and... food!

I must also feature this excellent travel mug I received for Christmas from my brother, I still use it every day at work without fail!

November

 November 2021

The weather warming up, we continued to try and see new places in the Auckland region. A day trip to Lake Wainamu near Bethells beach was our next trip.

Well known for the large sand dunes that people adore boogie boarding down. The sand get's bloody hot in the sun though, and I highly recommend covered shoes for the walk up - my jandals weren't quite cutting the cheese and I ended up hopping along like a maniac. 

Once we crested the hill it was all worth it though, and I even managed my first swim, in November no less! Looking back on this summer as I write this from 2023, I am extremely envious of our 2021/2 summer, as this year has been astronomically bad. Past me didn't know how good I had it! We also hiked out to one of my favourite local beaches, Granny's bay. 

Perfect for a swim, though you may want to go early, to avoid the nudists! It's a bit of a hike to get to, but well worth it for the views. 

The Pohutukawa were already out in full force at Long Bay, and the humming of bees could be heard from all around. 

I made the most of the sunshine by undertaking some DIY and doing up my outdoor chairs. Nothing a bit of sanding and varnish can't fix!

I'll finish the post off with my quintessential summer dish, a strawberry tart. Bring on Summer!