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!